Key informants

Key informants are people who have first-hand knowledge about the community. They include community leaders, cultural leaders, religious leaders, and other people with lots of experience in the community. These community experts, with their particular knowledge and understanding, represent the views of an important sector of the community. They can provide you with detailed information about the community, its health beliefs, cultural practices, and other relevant information that might help you in your work. How do you feel about talking to leaders and people with lots of experience? Do you ask them different sorts of questions from those you ask of other people? Although beliefs and attitudes apply to key informants too, you also have a chance to find out some answers to questions about 'the bigger picture' of your community when people are public figures.