I mean, what are the risks of the surveys? I don't think it will be dangerous to survey people without the full knowledge. Better to be curious about it than do nothing. Discouraging low risk research just for being pendantic sounds a like toxic gatekeeping.
It really is just unnecessary and arrogant gate keeping.
OP for now just wants to talk to people, I assume to understand their issues, what they tried, what makes it better and what makes it worse for them. Talking to people volunteering for a call is not dangerous.
For all we know, OP will not see any pattern that fits their hypothesis and leaves it at that.
