Using the Foresight 50+ National Probability Panel of Older Adults for Rapid Recruitment for Qualitative Research

Abstract Background and Objectives The older adult population is rapidly growing. However, they remain severely underrepresented in research, in large part due to recruitment challenges. As a result, aging research is often constrained by large recruitment budgets or unrepresentative convenience samples. Here, we tested the feasibility of a novel, high quality recruitment tool for rapid qualitative research for an NIH-funded pilot study on loneliness among older adults. Methods We leveraged the Foresight 50 + (“F50+”), a sub-panel of AmeriSpeak that is offered by AARP and NORC and fields monthly Omnibus surveys to a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults ages 50 and older. As part of the F50+ Omnibus survey (fielded to N∼1000 panelists), we included the 3-item UCLA loneliness scale and an item assessing their interest in participating in a 60-minute focus group discussion. Results Coupled with the F50+ Profile variables, we used the Omnibus results to identify U.S. adults who are ages 65 + (N = 602), reported some loneliness (N = 292), were willing to participate in a group discussion (N = 92), and varied across key socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender and race/ethnicity). The study team scheduled and successfully conducted 4 virtual focus group discussions with our target population, the compositions of which varied by gender and race/ethnicity, within 4 weeks at a reasonable cost. In general, panelists were agreeable, engaging, and communicative, with minimal attrition or invalid contact information. Discussion The Foresight 50+ panel offers a cost-effective option for researchers and policymakers seeking high quality participants for rapid research among sub-populations of older adults.