Public Opinion Research Consulting

Democracy International works to promote free and legitimate elections through monitoring, election administration strengthening, and supporting democratic political parties. Christine Quirk has worked with DI on a number of projects including a groundbreaking qualitiative research project designed to inform a 2010 voter education program in Djibouti. She also served on DI's USAID-funded election observation mission in the 2010 Loya Jirga election in Afghanistan, as Observer Coordinator for Research and Communication. In March, 2013, she conducted an assessment of quantitative capacity in Libya.

"Christine Quirk possesses the unique ability to contribute across the broad range of democracy programming. That’s why we consider her a key partner in our implementation of democracy programs around the world.  For Democracy International, she recently managed a very challenging set of focus group discussions in Djibouti and assisted us to coordinate a large international observation mission to Afghanistan’s 2010 parliamentary elections. She brings the highest level of professionalism to her work and is capable of maintaining such high quality work in some of the most challenging environments on earth.”

 Jed Ober
Director of Programs
Democracy International

A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, KRC is a leading full-service communications research firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Boston. Because of her experience working in the region, KRC hired Christine Quirk to oversee a focus group project in Saudi Arabia on behalf of a major U.S. university looking to expand its academic offerings. She also conducted dozens of in-depth interviews and moderated multiple focus groups in Qatar in an effort to help the university redesign its website. She has also observed focus groups in Asia on behalf of KRC and produced qualitative reports for the firm, as a consultant.

"Christine Quirk is insightful, responsive and a real team player.  She seamlessly worked with our team to facilitate on-site interviews and groups and develop analysis that was smart and actionable for our client.  She is more than a professional, she is a partner - and I would recommend her to anyone."
 

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is the one of the leading NGOs fighting tobacco use in the U.S.. After receiving a large grant to launch new international programs in some of the world's smokiest countries, CTFK asked Quirk Global Strategies to help them set up opinion research programs in nine countries, ranging from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia. QGS conducted two nationwide surveys in Turkey  in advance of and after the implementation of the country's smoke free law that helped guide public outreach activities. Additionally, QGS  has completed two in-depth surveys of Indonesians' and one survey of Ukrainians' attitudes toward tobacco control. QGS worked closely with the US-based client and the Jakarta-, Istanbul- and Kyiv-based field firms to ensure the  projects stayed on track under a tight deadline. In all three countries, QGS provided a full analysis of the data, complete with strategic recommendations, that have guided the activities of CTFK and its local partners as they press governments to advance tobacco control legislation nationally and locally.

  "Christine Quirk is a valued partner in our international advocacy efforts.  Although we have significant experience with opinion research in the United States, we were unsure of where to begin in countries like Ukraine, Indonesia and Turkey.  Christine de-mystified international public opinion research and her expertise has been a real asset to our campaigns.  She is extremely responsive, never balks at tight deadlines, and I'm pleased to say that our projects have gone smoothly from start to finish."

Nichole Veatch
Director, Primary Research
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

QGS has a long-term consulting relationship with Charney Research of New York. Christine Quirk has cooperated on their research projects in Indonesia, Afghanistan,  Egypt, Pakistan and FATA, Georgia, Yemen, West Bank/Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bangladesh and the Gulf. Christine Quirk has regularly travelled to Kabul to assist with Charney projects, such as the annual ABC/BBC News national survey.  She has worked on multiple quantitative and qualitative projects for the firm that focus on public opinion in the Muslim world, including large focus group projects in West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. She oversaw the interviewer training and quality control review process for one of the first quantitative and qualitative projects conducted in Pakistan's volatile FATA region and managed the data collection for projects in  Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Additionally, she conducted an exit poll assessment in Georgia in advance of the 2007 Presidential election as well as oversaw focus groups conducted throughout the country on behalf of the World Bank in 2008. 

“Christine Quirk is the person you want on a tough project.  She is a real trooper – ready to go to difficult places.  And she is a real pro – solid in her research, hard-working, and consistent in her application of sound research principles even in difficult environments." 

International Political Campaign Consulting

Modern political campaigning in Ukraine is in its infancy. Knowing that Christine Quirk has extensive U.S. political campaign experience and worked closely with Ukraine's Presidential Secretariat, Aristotle International of Washington D.C. hired Quirk Global Strategies to implement the country's first large-scale strategic phone bank program in the 2007 Parliamentary election. The program included both ID and GOTV components in multiple cities.

“Christine Quirk managed a large-scale call center for us in Ukraine.  Smart, tenacious and highly professional, she got the job done in a challenging environment.  I was especially impressed by her ability to break new ground in voter contact in Ukraine on very short notice.” 

Training and Capacity Building

At the height of the crisis in Zimbabwe in late 2008, Christine Quirk travelled to Harare to help set up a nationwide focus group research program. Taking into consideration the sensitive political situation, the economic collapse and the cholera outbreak, she helped the team come up with the strategic objectives of the research, helped set geographical priorities, trained moderators and wrote the discussion guide. She also provided analysts with report writing techniques. She returned to Southern Africa, after the Inclusive Government Agreement had been implemented, to design a follow-up focus group program that will assist leaders as they navigate a radically different -- and constantly changing -- political environment.

Christine Quirk regularly consults with National Democratic Institute's Iraq program. She has conducted multiple trainings for youth members of Iraq's growing political parties, teaching them the practical applications of strategic research, including qualitative and quantitative techniques. 

"Christine did a great job illuminating for young Iraqi political party leaders the public opinion research process.  Hopefully, her efforts ill contribute to more substantive policy making on the part of political parties in Iraq in the future."

 Also on behalf of NDI, she trained a group of municipal leaders from Saudi Arabia on democratic campaign strategies. She also conducted a large survey of Roma and Non Roma in Romania in early 2009. 

Christine Quirk has conducted multiple trainings for International Republican Institute's Iraq program. She trained Iraqi pollsters on strategic research techniques as well as on effective focus group moderation and analysis. She has also worked on questionnaire development with IRI's Afghanistan program and oversaw a focus group program in Ukraine.

 
"An effective way to conduct research in countries going through democratic transitions is through focus groups moderated by citizens of that particular country.  That means training people who can go to places that are off limits for others. Christine provided advice on proper methodology and conducted intensive training programs for our Iraqi partners. Her ability to understand the cultural constraints and develolp training modules which adapted to those constraints was invaluable to our overall mission."