A Comparative Study of Opinion Poll Results in Kenya on Covid19: a Case of Tifa Research and Infotrak Research

Abstract

The study sought to conduct a comparative study on opinion polls that were done on the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya. It focused on opinion polls conducted by two pollsters – Trends and Insights for Africa Research, and Infotrak Research and Consulting. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: To compare the key themes TIFA Research and Infotrak Research focused on in their opinion polls on the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya; To describe the communication strategies TIFA Research and Infotrak Research used to conduct opinion polls on the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya and; To explore the key findings of the opinion poll conducted by TIFA Research and Infotrak Research on the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya. The study was grounded in three theories; spiral of silence theory, social representations theory and social cognitive theory. A descriptive survey research design was employed to achieve the objectives of the study. The target population of the study was made up of two market research firms; TIFA Reseach and Infotrak Research and Consulting. Purposive sampling was used to draw up a sample of four respondents, two from each company, and six opinion poll reports – three from each company. An interview guide was used to obtain information from the respondents, while a code sheet was created to analyse the opinion poll reports. The findings revealed that the two pollsters had comparable objectives while conducting opinion polls on coronavirus. The other key finding was that they both put in place similar communication strategies, and the results were largely the same.