Exploring the Common Cold across Continents with Conversational Research
Imagine conducting international research in remote countries where you don’t speak the language, interviewing hundreds of people, processing and analyzing all that data, while racing against a deadline. The challenges of traditional research methods are instantly solved with Conversational Research. Let us show you how.
For this case study, we used Yasna, our AI assistant for Conversational Research, to interview 100 people in Austria and Thailand about their experiences with common colds. The results came in within 3 days. And were far from common.
Only relevant respondents allowed
To make sure Yasna interviewed only the right people for the study we used a Screening feature that is available during the setup stage of a project. We wanted Yasna to chat exclusively with the people who had recently been sick, so that’s the instruction we provided:
Yasna took this instruction and turned it into qualifying questions before the main interview, proceeding to chat with the relevant respondents and screening out the rest. With data quality under control, let’s move on to the findings.
Austria coughs, Thailand sneezes: cross-cultural insights into cold symptoms
The analysis done by Yasna revealed shared symptoms like cough and nasal issues in both Austria and Thailand while highlighting unique symptoms for each:
In Austria, cough tops the list of frustrating cold symptoms, affecting 45.1% of respondents, followed by runny nose (43.1%) and sore throat (25.5%). In Thailand, over 65% of respondents find a runny or blocked nose most bothersome, with 18% also reporting “difficulty breathing”—a complaint absent in Austria.
Overall, people in Thailand were more vocal and descriptive, naming more symptoms than people in Austria did. Thanks to Yasna’s ability to process and analyze large volumes of data, this was easy to spot and validate.
The interviews are conducted in the respondents’ preferred languages. Once data collection is complete, Yasna transforms the interviews into easy-to-read summaries.
We’ve covered symptoms, now let’s talk treatment.
Over-the-counter medications are highly popular
In both countries, over-the-counter meds are the go-to cold treatment, with 68.63% of Austrians and 66.67% of Thais relying on them. Yasna took it further by analyzing the factors behind their choices, and presenting the comparison in a table:
Yasna provides illustrative quotes to support takeaways in every report. For instance, here is what people said about factors influencing their decision to buy over-the-counter medications:
I trust the pharmacist to choose the best medicine for me regardless of the price.
The packaging attracts my interest if it looks high-quality.
Treatment Preferences: Modern vs. Traditional Medicine
Prior to seeing the study’s results, we were ready to bet that Austria would lean heavily on modern medicine while Thailand would stick to more traditional remedies. Well, Yasna proved us wrong.
51% of Austrians blend modern and traditional remedies to tackle colds
Modern medicine is reserved for severe symptoms like fever, while milder issues like coughs see a preference for natural treatments. Some stick to tradition for its availability or personal appeal, while others start with natural remedies and switch if needed.
Interestingly, 23.5% rely solely on modern medicine, while 25.5% go fully traditional. Outside of the classic honey and lemon mixtures, the traditional home cures took us by surprise.
Home remedies in Austria
- Onion-Based remedies: honey and onion syrup or placing cut onions in the room
- Essigpatscherl (Vinegar Socks): involves soaking cloths in vinegar and wrapping them around the feet to reduce fever
- Complex herbal infusions: recipes for teas using ingredients like thyme, sage, and linden blossoms are passed down in families
In Thailand 62.96% prefer modern medicine
Thai respondents value modern medicine for its reliability and ease, especially for severe symptoms like high fever. Prescription meds are popular too, with 18.52% opting for stronger treatments when things get serious.
As for natural remedies, only 14.81% use them, hinting at a growing preference for quick, pharmaceutical fixes over home cures. In Thailand, just like in Austria, honey and lemon concoctions are a frequent mention. But there was a fair share of not-so-common home cures as well.
Home remedies in Thailand
- Onion-based remedies (once again!): inhaling red onions or placing them by the bedside
- Eating ice cream to “expel heat”
- Herbal inhalants containing camphor and menthol
What about antibiotics? The attitudes differ
Austria:
29% take antibiotics for bacterial infections or severe symptoms.
71% avoid antibiotics, citing concerns about resistance and side effects. In fact, 23.5% believe in the body’s ability to heal itself without medical intervention.
Thailand:
52% use antibiotics for severe symptoms or when symptoms persist.
48% avoid them, preferring alternative treatments or believing antibiotics are unnecessary for viral infections. Nearly 39% believe in self-healing.
Tanya Berlina
Client Success Director, yasna.ai
Why research with Yasna?
Whether you’re exploring cultural differences or validating ideas, Yasna takes the headache out of research, without any medication 🙂
As an end-to-end conversational research platform, Yasna covers all bases from respondent screening and conducting human-like interviews to customizable reporting. You gain both depth and confidence in your research results, along with the freedom to focus on making creative, data-driven decisions.