Industry overview
What is shaping mining
Mining operations depend on a social licence from nearby communities as much as on permits. Safety culture, workforce welfare and transparent CSR shape how companies are seen locally and by regulators.
- Community trust can make or break an operation
- Safety culture is measured by behaviour, not policies
- CSR spending is increasingly evaluated for real impact
Client background
A coal and iron ore mining company, working in Jharkhand & Odisha. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A coal and iron ore mining company
- Sector
- Mining
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Government research, Quantitative research, Qualitative research
Client challenge
The company had invested in schools, health camps and roads around its mines, yet local protests continued and project approvals were taking longer each year. Leadership realised it did not know how communities actually saw the company, or which concerns mattered most to them.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: measuring trust between a mine and its neighbouring communities.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of households.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 10 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 2,200 households.
- households2,200
Audiences we typically reach in mining
Host communitiesMine workers and contractorsLocal leaders and officialsRegulatorsCSR beneficiaries
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Jharkhand & Odisha. Market: India. 32 villages covered.
- India
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Household survey
- 3Group discussions with women, youth and elders
- 4Insight
We recruited interviewers from the region who spoke Hindi, Santali and Ho, and surveyed households about livelihoods, land, water, dust, employment and trust in the company. Separate group discussions with women, young people and village elders explored issues people found hard to raise in front of others. Interviews were held without company staff present, and every interview was GPS-tagged and back-checked.
Government researchQuantitative researchQualitative research
Sampling strategy
- households
- 2,200
- Respondents were selected across Jharkhand & Odisha using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
- Time and location checks on field interviews
- Supervisor accompaniment in the field
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Dust on crops, unclear land compensation and the hiring of outsiders were the main grievances, while CSR projects were appreciated but did not offset them.
Communities judged the company on how it handled everyday impacts, not on the size of its CSR spending.
Recommendations
- The company introduced dust suppression on haul roads, a local hiring commitment with published numbers and a village grievance desk with response deadlines.
- Share the findings with the teams closest to customers so they can act quickly.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- A follow-up survey was planned after eighteen months to track whether trust improved.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Evaluation findings with programme recommendations
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what do workers need to stay safe and engaged?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.