Hoi,
It may be easier; that is a challenge for Wikidata technology, a challenge they do not really concentrate on. The main point is that as a community we do not take ourselves seriously. The denial of relevance of for instance a Wikimania is staggering.Compare it with the ease that had all the streets of the Netherlands included. How is it possible to deny the notability of what we are, what we do, the literature about the Wikimedia movement and its projects?
When personal preferences determine this, it strengthens the notion of ivory towers. A notion that "we": want to research you in isolation and, the data is ours, separate from what "you lot" do. Research needs a relevance. When we combine the power of proper research with the data that is increasingly in Wikidata we can do so much more.
My question is if research will help us understand what is going on. Where we can do better, how we can encourage new and existing people. So far I think I know how this can be achieved, what direction to take. I do not know about research that is actually helping. Typically I find it mostly chasing after things we already know and is focused on English Wikipedia.
I have the feeling that once research becomes practical it is no longer considered "scientific" and if that is so, I should not bother you.
Thanks,
GerardM