As a harmonized study, we place a strong emphasis on all GWI Core questions appearing identically across all markets. However, there are some cultural and legal exceptions to this:
We don't ask under-18s (or under-21s in the US) about alcohol. There are also age-restrictions relating to behaviors such as gambling.
We don't ask about alcohol in certain countries where it might be inappropriate to do so, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
In Middle Eastern countries, some options are localized in line with prevailing cultural customs. Examples of this include asking if someone is living with their spouse rather than their partner, or whether they are engaged rather than in a relationship. We also do not ask about Pregnancy in Saudi Arabia, Egypt or the UAE.
We ask about sexual orientation in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Israel, South Africa, North America and in a select number of European and APAC markets.
We only ask about gender options outside of the male/female binary in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, UK and the USA.
We didn't ask about Visiting the Cinema in Saudi Arabia until mid-2018, when restrictions on this behavior were lifted.
We ask about sensitive topics such as sexual orientation, ethnicity, racial and gender identity only in markets where it’s suitable to do so - something we’re constantly reviewing. Beyond local regions and language, we also localize the following:
Educational Attainment (respondents see locally appropriate education stages, based on levels specified in the International Standard Classification of Education, or ISCED).
Income & Savings (respondents are asked to select or enter country-appropriate monetary values in their own local unit of currency)
Additionally, most brand lists in the GWI Core survey feature a mix of global brands and locally popular brands, meaning we're able provide globally consistent but locally relevant data.