Reimagining Demographic Data Collection

When Belong in Plymouth first began developing its community conversation tools, the question came up: how do we gather demographic information respectfully?

Matt Bell offered a suggestion: “Rather than using standard tick boxes, let’s ask people, ‘So, tell me about yourself…’” It sounds simple—but it reflects a major shift in power and tone.

Rather than forcing people into categories, the approach is built on dialogue. It invites people to share the identities, communities, and experiences they feel are most relevant to them—not just what the form asks.

But it’s not just about tone. As Juliette Jackson pointed out, “If we want to build maps or use coding tools like Kumu or Quirkos, we do still need structure. The challenge is how to honour both the human messiness and the analytic need.”

So the team tried something new. They explored flexible question frameworks, open-ended prompts, and co-designed scripts for conversation leads. It’s still a work in progress—but it reflects the project's ethos: less extraction, more co-creation.

In a world awash with surveys, sometimes the boldest move is to stop ticking boxes—and start asking better questions.