I really like your idea to do the qualitative study. I have done quite a bit of qualitative research too and think it is a terrific way to answer certain questions. I wonder about the emotional apathy attitude you're hearing. Could it be a way people are prioritizing b/c it's not a crisis and they're used to dealing with urgent matters. This task can wait. Not having as much of a future orientation, so once something is pushed "forward" it's easy not to do at all.