Reaching Hard-to-Find Segments in Rural Areas

How DataDiggers combined verified panel recruitment with synthetic data modeling to capture insights from elderly offline populations

The Challenge

A leading social policy institute approached DataDiggers with a pressing challenge: they needed reliable insights from elderly individuals (aged 65+) living in rural regions across Eastern Europe. These populations were crucial for a national policy review focused on healthcare accessibility, pension sustainability, and digital literacy—but traditional methods had repeatedly failed.

The problem was threefold:

• Digital exclusion: Most target individuals lacked internet access or smartphone usage.
• Low participation rates: Previous CATI and mail surveys had very low engagement.
• Cost and time inefficiency: Field-based recruitment in these regions was proving prohibitively expensive and slow.

The client needed a cost-effective, scalable, and high-integrity solution—fast.

The DataDiggers Solution

DataDiggers crafted a dual approach using two of its core technologies:

✅ Step 1: Activate Brainactive’s Panel Network for Rural Reach

Leveraging MyVoice, our proprietary panel network with ~2 million verified global respondents, we filtered for pre-profiled rural dwellers aged 65+ using data points such as location, income bracket, education level, and internet usage habits.

To reach participants with limited online activity, our team deployed:

• GeoIP-based microtargeting
• Offline panelist reactivation (via SMS and assisted completion via phone interviews)
• Trusted community referrals in select regions

Quality was maintained using:

• IPQS anti-fraud scoring
• Geo-fencing and digital fingerprinting
• AI-based respondent behavior analysis
• Local language adaptation through Brainactive’s built-in smart translation tools

The result: a 52% higher completion rate than industry average for this age group in rural areas.

🤖 Step 2: Use Syntheo to Fill Gaps with AI-Powered Synthetic Personas

For ultra-remote areas where even assisted outreach was unfeasible, we deployed Syntheo, our AI-powered synthetic research engine.

Syntheo generated digital personas modeled on aggregated behavioral, demographic, and attitudinal data—trained on:

• Past survey data from similar populations
• Socioeconomic patterns at the county and village levels
• External databases (e.g., national census, Eurostat)

These synthetic respondents were used only to simulate responses in questions where sample gaps remained too large. Every synthetic insight was clearly labeled and transparently separated from real human responses.

Model accuracy and credibility were validated by:

• Comparing synthetic outputs with panelist benchmarks
• Calibrating for local behavioral norms and cultural sensitivities
• Applying advanced data matching via Correlix for bias correction and augmentation

The Outcome

• ✅ Completed interviews with over 1,200 rural elderly individuals across 5 countries
• 🔄 Bias-adjusted and augmented insights for hard-to-reach subregions using synthetic personas
• ⏱️ Turnaround time reduced from 6 weeks to just 10 days
• 💰 Cost per respondent lowered by 38% compared to CATI benchmarks
• 📊 Client confidence reinforced by full transparency on real vs. synthetic respondent ratios

"We were stunned by how effective the Brainactive panel was in engaging elderly rural respondents—something we’ve struggled with for years. The synthetic boost was clearly explained and statistically sound. This was by far the most efficient and reliable data collection we’ve ever done for this demographic."
— Senior Research Lead, Public Policy Institute (Client)

Why It Worked

This case study exemplifies the DataDiggers advantage:

• Verified, deep-profiled panelists via Brainactive
• Synthetic insights with transparent, explainable AI via Syntheo
• Data quality protocols certified by ISO 20252:2019 and backed by Research Defender, IPQS, and reCAPTCHA
• Global reach, local nuance—with multilingual and rural-targeting capabilities baked into every step

By integrating real and synthetic data smartly and ethically, DataDiggers delivered statistically representative insights in a way that traditional agencies and DIY platforms couldn’t match.

Final Thoughts

Hard-to-reach doesn’t mean impossible to understand. With Brainactive, Syntheo, and Correlix, DataDiggers continues to lead the way in inclusive, technology-enabled research—giving voice to underrepresented populations while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency.