I think it's a legitimate excuse but, at the same time, it will always be an excuse unless investments are made to build the data to do that research.
From a pragmatic sense, can it be done quickly tomorrow? No. There are the obstacles that I mentioned. However, is it something worth investing in if we're going to be attracting 400,000 newcomers a year and thinking holistically about different interventions, rather than in the short term? Yes. This is an investment that's worth making.