“It’s incredibly useful for us to have a consistent data set that explains what’s going on in the community in terms of loneliness and tracks the rates of loneliness that as an organisation we can refer to when we are developing strategies and policy solutions.”
– Rachael Pearse, Uniting Communities
Government research & cultural insight
Understanding people, culture and community
Square Holes is a cultural insight studio working with government and community organisations to better understand people, culture and the realities shaping everyday life. We go beyond traditional research to uncover the patterns, tensions and shifts others miss: helping inform policy, improve services and enable confident, evidence-based decisions.
Cultural insight for better government decisions
Policy doesn’t exist in isolation, it lives within culture, behaviour and community context. We help governments explore how people think, feel and act in the real world, ensuring strategies, communications and services align with lived experience, not assumptions.
Our work supports:
- Policy development and evaluation
- Behaviour change strategies
- Community engagement and consultation
- Service design and improvement
- Place-based and sector-wide strategy
Explore >> Test > Monitor
Our approach is designed to reduce risk and increase impact:
- Explore — Deep cultural exploration to understand people beyond the issue
- Test — Validate ideas, policies, communications and concepts
- Monitor — Track shifts in sentiment, behaviour and impact over time
This creates clarity early, builds confidence in decisions, and ensures ongoing relevance as conditions change.
Real people. Real context. Better outcomes
We combine multiple methods to build a rich, human understanding of communities:
- Ethnography and in-home conversations
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Qualitative groups and interviews
- Quantitative surveys and tracking
- Human data and lived experience insight
- Expert and sector perspectives
This mixed-method approach reveals not just what people think, but why, and what it means for action.
Supporting policy, services and behaviour change
We work across a wide range of government and community challenges, including:
- Health and wellbeing initiatives
- Environmental sustainability and climate response
- Transport and road safety behaviour
- Housing, infrastructure and urban development
- Education, arts and cultural sectors
- Economic development and regional growth
From shaping legislation and policy to designing behaviour change campaigns, we help ensure initiatives connect with real people in meaningful and effective ways.
From insight to IMPACT!
Our role doesn’t stop at insight. We translate findings into clear, practical implications—helping leaders and teams move forward with confidence:
- Clear strategic direction
- Evidence-based recommendations
- Tested communications and concepts
- Defined opportunities and priorities
- Ongoing measurement and evaluation
Because activity alone doesn’t create outcomes, insight, clarity and action do.
Trusted by government and community leaders
Since 2004, we’ve partnered with government agencies, councils, and community organisations across Australia to explore complex challenges and unlock new opportunities.
Our studio model combines a core team with a curated global network, bringing together the right expertise for each project while maintaining deep local understanding.
Let’s explore
Every policy, program or community challenge starts with people.
Let’s explore: Start with a conversation about your objectives—and how deeper cultural insight can support better outcomes for your community.
People guided policy:
- Behaviour change research
- Population growth / sentiment tracking
- Policy research
- Customer / citizen research
- Ad development, testing and monitoring
