thinqinsights

When he said he was going on vacation, we weren’t expecting this... John Beckley, one of the partners here at thinqinsights and our Head of Commercial went on vacation recently. When he got back, we asked him where he went and how it was. We didn't expect what he said next... John went on to describe his week in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, volunteering alongside American and local doctors, dentists and optometrists. The volunteers come together to assist in providing care to Hondurans that normally don't have access to this type of care. They also installed water filters in homes to folks that have no access to clean water. And this wasn't his first time. We let him know this wasn't really a vacation though. He said it was a very personal thing for him and that it brings him joy. Even better than a "vacation". We were smiling the whole time he was sharing his stories. Our thought was that we need more stories like this. Maybe it will bring a smile to those who hear about it and maybe it will inspire others in the way true leaders can inspire.

Before we were debating AI summaries vs. human synthesis… David Satcher was asking the question: “Who’s missing from the data?” As U.S. Surgeon General, Satcher pushed for better representation in health research, because if your sample is biased, your conclusions aren’t “insights.” They’re guesses with confidence intervals. He understood something every researcher eventually learns the hard way: If you don’t measure people properly, you don’t serve them properly. No flashy dashboards. Just rigorous science and a stubborn belief that everyone counts. In honor of Black History Month we wanted to take a moment to thank the pioneers who shaped market research, public opinion research, and data-driven strategy. People like David Satcher! hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth

As a data company, we love numbers, but what’s with all the hate for the number 13? The only date that turns otherwise rational adults into “maybe let’s not launch today” energy. Airlines don’t love it. Hotels quietly skip a floor. Office buildings pretend 12 goes straight to 14. Meanwhile, the number 13 is just sitting there like: “I’m literally just after 12.” There’s even a word for it: Triskaidekaphobia — the fear of the number 13. Well, we’re all for the number 13 – especially when it falls on a Friday! Happy Friday the 13th!

Most research answers questions.   But what if research could accelerate understanding as well?   One of the biggest challenges we see across organizations isn't a lack of data. It's that insights live in silos. Each study starts fresh, and valuable findings get lost along the way.   We've been working on a different approach. One that connects insights across teams, studies, and time. So ideas can compound rather than reset.   Here's a look at how we think about it.

Insights professionals don’t have a data problem. They have a continuity problem.   Insights teams generate more research than ever, but too much understanding still resets between projects.   Surveys, interviews, social, secondary research, internal docs… each live in its own system, analyzed in isolation, rarely connected over time.   The result isn’t a lack of data. It’s a lack of continuity.   Meaningful exists to change that. By unifying research inputs into a single intelligence system where insight can be preserved, connected, and continuously built out.   Because the real opportunity isn’t collecting more insight. It’s letting insights compound.

🎉New Year’s resolution? Have we resolved not to have any 🤔? Just when we were about to give up on the idea of a New Year’s resolution, we came across an interesting interview with professor and podcaster, Suzanne Joy Clark. Clark has come up with a different approach to the (often failed) New Year’s resolution that puts focus on a word rather than an action. She gave an example of getting fit. Instead of resolving to join a gym, consider focusing on the word “vitality” and see where that takes you. This inspired us to try . thinqinsights word for 2026 is 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦. It’s the strength or force gained by motion. Momentum is what we are building. This year, our team has been pushing forward with focus, collaboration, and a clear sense of where we’re headed. 2026…here we come! Do you have a word for 2026? (Yes, this post comes after January 1st but the person who wrote it had as their resolution "Do not procrastinate" and we think this just proves our point even more).

2025 is coming to a close A year that saw some highs and lows. But we persevered, shall we say With lessons learned along the way. We stumbled, laughed, grew wiser too Found new paths we never knew. We bent, we learned, we held on tight Found our strength in shared insight. Through the noise, did we thrive To say goodbye to 2025. So here’s to a year of doing our best Of growth over grind, and time to rest. For 2026 will be the finest A year to give and receive kindness. From the team at thinqinsights here We wish you all a Happy New Year 🎆!

How do Americans really feel about getting older? It depends on gender and life stage. Our latest thinqin&askin poll of adults 18+ shows a clear pattern: men are far more likely than women to feel good about getting older. But the gap isn’t constant across life. In early adulthood and midlife, the divide is stark. Men are much more likely than women to feel positive about aging, with the widest gaps among those <25 and 45–54. These are the years when women often face the heaviest mix of pressures like career building, caregiving, appearance standards, and workplace ageism. But here’s where the narrative shifts. After about age 55, women’s outlook improves noticeably. In fact, positivity about aging increases with age for women after midlife. 🔎 What the data shows and what Meaningful helps explain To understand why these gaps exist, Meaningful layered the quantitative data with secondary research and social-context analysis to help explain and uncover some powerful insights. 🚹 🚺 1. Pronounced gender disparities in positivity about aging tied to life-stage pressures Men are much more likely than women to feel positive about aging, with the largest gaps in early adulthood and midlife. This difference is driven less by age itself and more by compounded pressures women face during these stages like caregiving demands, workplace ageism, and appearance standards, often resulting in feelings of invisibility and role overload. 💡 2. The upward shift in women’s positivity post 55 reflects transformative identity and agency gains After midlife, women’s outlook on aging improves as priorities shift away from external validation toward meaning, autonomy, and purpose. With fewer societal and caregiving pressures, aging is reframed as a period of empowerment rather than decline. 📳 3. Early adulthood women’s low positivity linked to social comparison and appearance pressures Young women are significantly less positive about aging than young men, largely due to social comparison, appearance anxiety, and economic uncertainty. These concerns shape negative feelings about aging long before biological aging becomes relevant. What both the data from our Omnibus + Meaningful shows is that: For younger women, it suggests that today’s anxiety around aging is not permanent, and not a personal failing. For midlife women, it reframes this period not as decline, but as the hardest stretch before things get lighter. For society, it’s a reminder that supporting women earlier (by reducing pressure, increasing visibility, and validating lived experience) can help that sense of empowerment arrive sooner. Aging itself isn’t the problem. The problem is everything we ask women to carry along the way. And when that weight lifts, positivity about getting older follows.

Thrilled to see the 2026 BHGRE Design Trends Report go live! And even more proud to have played a part in helping shape this year's narrative.   Partnering with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate to understand how people want to live, design, and invest in the future has been incredibly rewarding.   This report blends real consumer data, agent expertise, and rich design perspectives to uncover what truly influences buyers in today's market, and what will matter most heading into 2026.   Congratulations to the BHGRE team on a thoughtful, insight-driven report. We're grateful to play a part in bringing these trends to life.

⏱️ AI moderators can speed up interviews but real insight comes from the questions you ask. Flow, Focus, and Follow-up help you create natural conversations, ask smarter questions, and guide AI to uncover deeper answers. Stronger conversations lead to better outcomes. Check out the full breakdown! → https://hubs.ly/Q03WDv5X0 Adam Paton Stanley-Smith, Meaningful Eva Gott, thinqinsights