Angelfish Fieldwork

27/08/2026

You loved our Gen Alpha playbook when it first came out earlier this year – and we’ve had quite a few new faces around here since then 👋

So, if you haven’t got round to checking it out yet, consider this your reminder.

Created in collaboration with incling, the playbook explores what makes Gen Alpha tick, why online communities can work so well for this age group, and what researchers need to think about when it comes to recruiting them.

If Gen Alpha is on your research radar, it’s well worth a read.

And the best bit? It’s completely free to download.

https://hubs.li/Q04vvh0v0

20/08/2026

“How do you know your participants are actually who they say they are?”

It is a fair question. And, as research fraud becomes more prolific, it is one we are hearing more often.

For us, participant quality is not created by one clever tool or a final check before fieldwork begins. It comes from careful community management, thoughtful screening, human judgement and a proper conversation with every shortlisted participant. In short, it is built into every stage of the recruitment process.

Our latest blog takes you behind that process.

We explore how we validate participants, what our in-house recruitment team listen for during phone calls and why sometimes the most important thing a fieldwork partner can do is have an honest conversation with the client.

A filled seat is not the same as the right participant.

Looking for qualitative research recruitment agencies you can trust? Discover how Angelfish Fieldwork verify and validate participants.

13/08/2026

In research contexts, memory recall isn’t always perfect.

We summarise. We rationalise. We describe the version of our routine that makes the most sense afterwards.

Video ethnography captures something different.

The product that gets picked up, then put back. The shortcut someone has created because they don't have the time or energy for any form of friction. The everyday trade-offs people might never think to mention in an interview.

Our latest blog explores how video ethnography can help brands get closer to real behaviour, why it works so well for modern participants and what it takes to keep the insight meaningful.

Because the goal is not simply to collect data for data’s sake. It is to understand people in the moments that matter.

Discover why video ethnography is becoming a valuable part of customer closeness research, helping brands capture real behaviour and in-the-moment insight.

23/07/2026

Ever watched someone spend five minutes deciding between two nearly identical products?

It's fascinating.

It's also a reminder that consumers don't make decisions in neat, logical steps. They're influenced by price, packaging, habit, convenience, whoever they're shopping with... sometimes all at once.

That's why we love shopper research. It gets researchers out of the viewing facility and into the real world, where the interesting stuff actually happens.

It's one of the reasons we included it in our Customer Closeness series. If you haven't read this one yet, we'd recommend starting here.

How shopper research helps brands get closer to their customers. Explore research methods like accompanied shopping, intercepts and digital ethnography.

21/07/2026

Wow. We know we’re good, but elite? That’s just made our day.

One of the things we’re proudest of here at Angelfish is our excellent opt-in community, which we’ve built organically over many years.

Because great research starts with great respondents.

And whilst we have plenty going on behind the scenes to make sure the participants we put forward for our clients are the best of the best, we also think participant care plays a huge role in why our community rates us so highly.

We reach out to respondents after every project to understand their experience, often passing their feedback on to the client teams we work with, as well as looking at what we did well and where we can improve.

Because participant experience matters.

Clear communication matters.

Feeling looked after matters.

And when respondents feel valued, they’re more likely to show up, engage properly, and bring their honest opinions to the research.

Which is exactly what everyone wants.

Thank you to Alisha, Santokh, and Mudassar for such lovely feedback.

Elite. We’ll take that.

Find out who is in our community here: https://hubs.li/Q04nmjt-0

16/07/2026

How do teenagers want to spend their time after exams?

According to parents in our Angelfish Opinions pulse, the top post-exam spending categories were:

Food, drinks and eating out: 32%
Clothing and fashion: 21%
Holidays and travel: 18%
Festivals, concerts and events: 10%

After a long stretch of pressure, it's small rewards and social time that come out on top, not big-ticket purchases.

That's relevant context for FMCG, retail, fashion, travel and experience brands. Not because exam season needs to become a campaign hook, but because the moment shapes what people are receptive to. Real-life context changes what feels useful and what gets noticed.

If you're planning research with young people, parents or families, we'd be glad to help:

https://hubs.li/Q04nm0tP0

15/07/2026

AI has made it into the revision toolkit, but it hasn't taken over.

In our latest Angelfish Opinions pulse, 75% of parents said their teenager had used at least one AI tool while preparing for exams. ChatGPT was by far the most common, used by around 58% of respondents. Google Gemini came in at 28%, Snapchat My AI at 18%, and Claude at 12%.

But when parents were asked what had been most helpful overall, school and teachers came out on top (34%). AI tools came in at 18%.

What that tells us: AI is genuinely in the mix, but it's one layer in a much messier reality. Teenagers are piecing together teachers, revision apps, YouTube, TikTok, family support, music, and AI... whatever feels useful in the moment.

For anyone researching young people or designing products for them, the more interesting question isn't whether they're using AI. It's what they're using it for, what they trust it with, and when they still want a human in the loop.

Our thinking on AI in market research is here if it's useful:

https://hubs.li/Q04nlB3L0

14/07/2026

We ran a quick pulse survey with parents from our Angelfish Opinions community now that UK exam season has wrapped up. We wanted to know how their teenagers actually experienced it – the stress, the revision, the plans for after.

The stat that stuck with us: 49% of parents said their teenager was more stressed than they'd expected.

That's not just about revision. It plays out in sleep, in conversations at home, in the general atmosphere of the house for weeks. Parents are managing all of that in real time, not just the logistics of exam prep.

It's why staying close to a live, engaged community matters. We're not capturing this retrospectively – we're talking to the people living it now.

More from this pulse over the coming days. And if you want to see who you could reach through Angelfish Opinions, our community stats are worth a look:

https://hubs.li/Q04nlPZh0

02/07/2026

Friendship pair research can be brilliant for kids and teens because, let’s be honest, children rarely form opinions in isolation.

They’re influenced by friends, siblings, classmates, games, trends, group chats, YouTube, TikTok, hobbies and the very specific logic of “everyone else has one”.

Put two children who know each other in a session together and you often get a more natural conversation.

But friendship pairs do need careful planning.

You’re not just recruiting one child. You’re recruiting two families, managing consent from both sides, coordinating diaries, keeping criteria realistic, and making sure the dynamic actually adds something to the research.

Read our top tips in full here:

Friendship pair research with children can unlock richer insight, but it needs careful recruitment, consent and safeguarding. Here’s how to plan it!

02/07/2026

Recruiting kids? Timing matters.

For many families, the UK summer holidays are on their way (or may already be here)!

Sorry if you’re a parent and that sentence just raised your heart rate slightly.

When planning fieldwork with children, teenagers or Gen Alpha audiences, it’s easy to focus on the sample, screener, consent process and methodology.

But timing matters too.

School holidays can be one of the best windows for kids’ research because families often have more flexibility, children are not tied to school hours, and there can be more space for online tasks, interviews or family-based research.

So consider this your reminder from us.

If you’re planning research with kids or teenagers this summer, now is a great time to get things moving.

Chat through your plans with us here:
https://hubs.li/Q04nfpPC0