Population in France
According to the INSEE FR, the total population in France[1] is 65,018,096 which makes this country the fourth-largest European country by population. The young people aged 18-34 represent 19%, out of which the female-male ratio is almost equal – 50.2 % young females and 49,8% young males.
The 
Millennials
This generation is also referred to as the Millennials or Generation Y. At the same time, these young people are most often the main target group in various research studies for several reasons.
Firstly, the youngest Millennials are of legal age in 2018, making them eligible for interviews and calling without guardian’s permission. Secondly, this generation of young people have very specific traits that trigger curiosity in studying their lifestyle habits. They are generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.[2] Eager to express themselves, they began to use gadgets, buy fashion clothes, try new products, and entertainment like never before, thus becoming an important consumer demographic.
Why it is difficult to target youngsters?
Whether for public opinion or consumer research, these last couple of years targeting young populations has been a real challenge. The samples for national representative studies cover more landline phones, which are more used by older respondents therefore lower response rates from people aged 18-34.
Furthermore, nowadays the usage of landline phones is decreasing especially in Western European countries, whereas mobile phones provide almost full coverage. In France, according to the Baromètre du numérique, penetration of mobiles is far greater than landline (94% vs. 86%). Nevertheless, it remains difficult to cover younger age groups.
How to Target Younger Audiences?
The question that has caught everyone’s attention in the market research industry: how to reach youngsters and young adults?
To respond to client’s demands, Sample Solutions has developed in-house technology for targeting younger population. The process is based on the usage of mobiles phones and social networks by the targeted audience. This is due to the increase of Internet practice especially on social media.
Therefore, all the data is up-to date thus providing a Lifestyle sample with accurate data. The process is the following:
- Raw RDD Mobile Generation
Firstly, it is recommended to use RDD sample for mobile phone numbers since they are more likely to be used by younger people.
- Provider Lookup for active numbers
Next step is screening the mobile phone sample. This process is fast, effective and accurate way to determine the network operator as well as the status of the mobile number.
- Social Media Activities
By linking the working numbers with messenger services (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger etc.) or social media profiles (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc.), public information such as images, content, names and profile information can be obtained.
- Face Recognition via AI & Machine learning
Content matching via AI & Machine learning allows analyzing the various information and based on estimations to determine age and gender of the user. With the development of these features, the assumptions have high increase in accuracy.
What about the legal aspect?
Sample Solutions is fully compliant to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), thus respecting the individual’s rights and provide valid and verified sample. We started implementing all the necessary changes to our systems, processes and policies needed to comply with GDPR’s requirements. Our team from Sample Solutions is working constantly on improving and securing that the data that we process is done in a lawful, fair and transparent manner. You can read more on our blog.
For additional information and questions, feel free to contact us at Info@samplesolutions.eu
[1] The statistics for France include 96 departments in Europe
[2] Fries, Kimberly (22 September 2017). “5 Reasons Why Millennial Leaders Need Performance Feedback”. Forbes. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
[3] http://www.credoc.fr/publications/abstract.php?ref=R337
[4] https://www.statista.com/
Carsten Broich
Carsten is the founder of Sample Solutions and Lifepanel with over a decade of sampling and social research experience. A trained aerospace engineer who discovered his love for random phone numbers.
