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Case Study

OpinionAmerica Group Uses Voxco to Shape the Future of Advanced Automotive Technology and Digital Assets/Bitcoin

OpinionAmerica Group embraces multi-mode survey solutions to stay ahead of the curve Opinion Polls

We sat down with OpinionAmerica Group President, Joseph Calvanelli, to understand how they are leveraging Voxco to conduct cutting–edge research that is paving the way for advancements in automotive technology and the growing emergence of digital assets like Bitcoin. 

OpinionAmerica Group embraces multi-mode survey solutions to stay ahead of the curve Opinion Polls

About OpinionAmerica

OpinionAmerica Group, LLC is a United States based marketing research firm, founded in 2009, and managed by a team of market research professionals with over 100 years of combined experience. 

The core competency of OpinionAmerica Group is their ability to provide high-quality opinion research and survey interviewing, along with related support, value-added services, and various other information and data collection solutions, targeted at both consumer and business-to-business audiences in North America. 

Their current client base includes organizations that need to conduct primary market research, tracking, and general survey data collection using a wide array of fully integrated methodologies, such as telephone, online and web panels, email outreach, face-to-face, text, or other traditional techniques. When combined with a rich history of success and team experience, these tools enable creative designs that target hard-to-reach respondents, business prospects, niche consumers, and other specific populations. 

For the use cases under consideration, which are advanced automotive technology and digital assets/Bitcoin, OpinionAmerica conducts these studies for industry groups, trade associations, venture capital firms, and corporations that are part of the broader supply-chain ecosystem. 

Advanced Automotive Technology

OpinionAmerica Group embraces multi-mode survey solutions to stay ahead of the curve Opinion Polls

OpinionAmerica Group was approached to conduct highly targeted research studies in the emerging field of advanced automotive technology. These studies explore drivers’ understanding of, and reactions to, the different types of safety automation now found in newer cars. Essentially, the research investigates the effects that these different types of new automation tools have on driver attention and interaction while examining the factors that influence drivers’ acceptance (or rejection) of automated vehicles.  

The Challenges 

To elaborate on the challenges such studies present, OpinionAmerica discussed one particular study aimed at exploring drivers’ understanding of the different levels of automation in newer models. This study used a web-based survey to collect data from a sample of over 2,000 drivers. The survey asked questions about drivers’ understanding, perceptions and expectations, and usage of these different types of safety automation, as well as their actual experiences with these automated features in a simulated environment. 

Not only did OpinionAmerica Group have to recruit a representative sample of specific car owners who drove an eligible make, model, and year, but they also had to ensure that when they presented an automation concept (via written text) in a survey question, the survey instrument provided respondents with visuals (still photos and/or videos) to ensure the respondent understood exactly what was being communicated—and then accurately acknowledged that understanding.

When it comes to new automotive technology, such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, or Lane Changing & Centering Assist, Hands-Free Driving, and so on—each brand does it differently. A brand’s “suite” of these new semi-autonomous safety features, while similar in some ways, do vary in user experience and interaction. On Tesla, the suite of features is called ‘Autopilot’; Cadillac’s is called ‘Super Cruise’. The same often holds true for other vehicle brands such as Ford, Subaru, Volvo, Kia, Buick, Mercedes, Lexus, and many others. Naturally, the dashboard layout, and driver interaction for each of these automobile brands also varies. 

When conducting research on such a technical and, at times, misunderstood topic, one must be crystal clear to avoid any interpretation errors that might inevitably creep into the research—mostly due to a lack of understanding. In short, there needed to be precise visual confirmation—a ‘mental confirmation handshake’ between the respondent and the survey instrument—that signaled clarity of understanding. 

For instance, when presented with the real-life scenario of driving down a two-lane interstate highway and, while passing a pickup truck with a trailer boat in tow that suddenly swerves into their lane while the safety features are “on”, respondents had to be shown a video that simulated what their dashboard would look like, what signals would flash, and how their vehicle would respond. The survey then measured driver reactions based on the vehicle they owned and were driving. These everyday scenarios, embedded in the survey instrument, were followed by a series of questions asking the respondent to point out the exact spot in an image where they would look if they had to glean the required information on the dashboard. In short, they had to click the spot where they would look on the dash (an image), and the survey platform would register the click. Additionally, the survey needed to measure how confident the driver felt that the safety feature would help them navigate through this potentially risky situation. 

The Solution

Voxco enabled OpinionAmerica Group to show respondents a customized set of logic-driven visuals (videos or stills)—based on the make and model of the car they drove—and ask the appropriate series or modules of questions accordingly. The survey had several dozen videos embedded within each car make and model module. Depending on how respondents reacted, they were directed down different paths based on their responses within a module—all driven by programmatic logic. 

Another key challenge for a study like this is that it involves new types of automotive technologies, most of which have only recently been introduced. Therefore, a highly targeted niche sample was needed (consider a Tesla owner with a specific 2022 model). Voxco assisted OpinionAmerica Group with this recruitment effort through a seamless mixed-mode approach, including online panels and telephone support.

Words from OpinionAmerica President, Joseph Calvanelli:

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“Six years ago when we were deciding to move our research platform over to Voxco, we had come to the realization that around 80 percent of the studies we were involved in required some sort of mixed or multi-mode solution; so we needed to embrace that reality and what we believed to be the future trajectory of our ever-changing market research industry. I have always believed that if your sample is representative of the targeted universe, and you have the team experience and tools necessary to maximize response rates and respondent cooperation within that universe – your resulting survey data will be more stable and reliable. This, in turn, translates into more robust and projectable findings. Variances can be more confidently attributed to the “marketplace” rather than potential sampling bias or noise.  What clinched the deal for me was that the Voxco platform equipped us for what we saw as our future. We needed this type of powerful, interactive, and seamless flexibility – given our broad base of clients and their unique challenges.   

We have the team experience, the intellectual intelligence required to meet these research challenges, and Voxco is now an integral part of who we are. Our research team finds it easy to program and in turn, handle complex surveys on the platform. We continue to put Voxco through major tests with these studies – we are clearly pushing the proverbial envelope – and it has enabled us to step up to the plate and meet the needs of our clients.” 

Digital Assets/Bitcoin

OpinionAmerica Group embraces multi-mode survey solutions to stay ahead of the curve Opinion Polls

OpinionAmerica Group monitors and tracks America’s awareness, attitudes, adoption and usage (AAAU) of digital assets, Bitcoin, various cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technologies. This involves conducting ongoing research and gathering feedback from a random sample of American adults that mirrors the 2020 census—through the ‘National Digital Asset AAAU Tracking Study.’ This robust, in-depth study of American adults (18+) is designed to measure awareness, attitudes, adoption and usage of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets/cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. The overarching objective is to track America’s evolution in this new world.

The Challenges

This ongoing study requires 5,000 random interviews each period, beginning with the baseline study conducted in 2022. Each wave is proportionately anchored by various generational cohorts that mirror the 2020 census, ensuring a representative sample of Baby Boomers, Gen X and Y, Millennials, the Silent Generation, and others. 

For example, this national digital asset/Bitcoin (AAAU) tracking survey delves deeply into America’s evolving perspectives on digital assets and cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Solana, and several other stablecoins. Questions explore respondents’ thoughts on Bitcoin, their understanding of it, ownership status, perceptions of risk, views on its role as a hedge against inflation, and whether they consider it an investment or currency (or both). The survey also investigates how they hold their Bitcoin—via ETF, a self-custodial wallet, Coinbase, or another method—and their intentions to purchase Bitcoin in the coming year, along with numerous other specific questions related to cryptocurrencies. 

To provide a comprehensive analysis, the survey includes questions about respondents’ views on the current financial health of the American economy, the strength of the American dollar, their investment portfolios, risk tolerance, personal and business outlook for the next year, and concludes with various demographic questions. 

The Solution

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Joseph reminisces

America’s evolution into, and adoption of, digital assets like Bitcoin is reminiscent of a multi-decade research project he was involved in during the early 1990s—tracking America’s evolution into and adoption of the internet. Back in early 1992, when less than 3% of Americans had internet access, it was referred to as the “information superhighway” or “World Wide Web.” There was an emerging adoption curve for this new technology back then, and a few years later, as applications and tools were developed and companies like Amazon launched, internet usage in America exploded, largely driven by younger generations. By 2000, the internet had reached the mature phases of the adoption curve, with over 50% of Americans using it as the new century began, and by 2010, it was nearly ubiquitous. Now, in the second half of 2024—over three decades later—it’s hard to imagine daily life without it. 

Voxco has been instrumental in this process as it enables us to gather feedback from all generations. The multimodal capabilities allow us to recruit respondents and distribute our surveys through various channels. 

This ongoing study will continue annually to track America’s evolving awareness, attitudes, adoption, and usage of digital assets. Beginning in 2025, it will transition to a monthly tracking study and will expand to include other strategic audiences, such as financial advisors, software developers, and policy makers. 

As for the findings, Baby Boomers, while quite aware of Bitcoin, were hesitant to include it in their portfolios as of the 2022 baseline study. However, this is changing significantly due to the increased accessibility of Bitcoin through ETFs. In contrast, younger generations like Millennials appear to be more engaged and enthusiastic about Bitcoin, understanding and embracing it more readily. 

The 2022 baseline study found that while a majority of US adults (79%) had heard of Bitcoin, only a small percentage (22%) had invested in it. This means that approximately 17% of American adults (22% of 79%) owned Bitcoin at the time of the study. Additionally, the study showed a growing interest in purchasing Bitcoin, with 35% of respondents indicating they were likely to invest in it within the next year—about half of whom were “very likely” to do so, whether they were first-time investors or existing owners adding to their portfolios. Shortly after this baseline survey, FTX collapsed, but by the time the 2023 wave was conducted, interest had stabilized. 

The 2022 study also revealed a significant gender gap in the perception and adoption of cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin. Men were slightly more likely than women to have heard of Bitcoin (82% vs. 77%), but were much more likely to own and be invested in it (26% vs. 9%). 

The findings suggest that considerable education is still needed about digital assets and Bitcoin before these technologies achieve wider adoption. However, similar to the research on the internet’s adoption in the 1990s, this study indicates a growing interest and acceptance of digital assets, suggesting that, over time, this emerging technology will become more mainstream. 

This research, encompassing both raw survey data and summary findings, has broad appeal. It is valuable for retail and financial brands, venture capital firms, AI developers building predictive models, and any new tech adoption groups or think tanks seeking to understand current trends and future directions. The insights help in capital allocation decisions, identifying next investments and product developments, and improving strategic marketing plans with a better understanding of the American consumer. 

Final comment

A full breakdown of all the use cases that OpinionAmerica is working on would require publishing a book — so we look forward to another session with Joseph Calvanelli where he can share many more tremendous insights from his stellar research experiences.  His closing comment when we talked was “Next time, remind me to tell you about the time we had to secretly purchase over $6,000 of men’s underwear”. 

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