4.4 Choose key informants
Carefully select the key informants. Remember key informants must have first-hand
knowledge about your community, its residents, and issues or problems you are trying
to investigate. Key informants can be a wide range of people, including agency
representatives, community residents, community leaders, or local business owners.
The first step in the selection process is to identify and create a list of potential key
informants—individuals or groups you want to interview to gather information about
your target population. In creating this list try to get a diverse set of representatives
with different backgrounds and from different groups or sectors. This diversity provides
a broad range of perspectives. For example, your list could include people from
different sectors, such as health service administrators, religious leaders, city
government officials, young mothers, minority populations, or youth advocates.
Second, you need to narrow down your list. Review your list and identify one or two
persons from the same sector who you believe can provide needed information.
However, keep in mind that your final group should have a diverse mix of key
informants in order to ensure a variety of perspectives. For example, if investigating
gang activity in a community, you could approach and solicit the input of a wide range
of experts who are knowledgeable about the problem, such as church leaders, local
store owners, neighborhood-watch-association representatives, parks and recreation
staff, parents, youth advocates, police, and teachers.
Key informant diversity is important. If you only interview people of a particular
background or sector you may end up with results that are one-sided or biased. Interviewing
key informants from a wide range of sectors allows you to look at varying perspectives and
underlying issues or problems.
The number of people you interview largely depends on your data needs, available
time, and resources. Typically, 15-25 interviews are the most you need.
4.5 Choose type of interview
The next step is to select a technique to obtain information from each of the key
informants—either by telephone or face-to-face. The technique you use largely
depends on your key informant's availability and preferred choice, as well as your
available time, resources and overall logistical feasibility. However, these techniques
are not mutually exclusive; both options may be used effectively.
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Health DATA Program – Data, Advocacy and Technical Assistance