Overcoming the Challenges of Recruiting Apartment Residents for Case Study Research: A Research Note

A growing number of people live in apartments worldwide, and research into these contexts is key to the success of our cities. Recruiting apartment residents as research participants can be challenging, however, especially when using a case study approach. This research note outlines the participant recruitment method developed for case study research into large apartment complexes in Sydney, Australia, discussing the obstacles encountered and the strategies used to overcome them. Survey respondent and interviewee recruitment was challenging, needing several iterations of survey recruitment methodology and multiple strategies for interviewee recruitment (surveys, posters, 'office hours'). Due to these measures, 21%-28% of households completed the survey, and between 14 and 17 resident interviewees were recruited for each case. The research note provides future researchers with guidance on successful strategies to recruit apartment residents.