Approach - Autumn 2010

Welcome to the sixth edition of Approach – the newsletter from the social research team at Ipsos MORI Scotland. The newsletter aims to provide an insight into new research methods and ideas, as well as taking a fresh look at more established ones. We hope that you continue to find Approach an informative and useful source of news, thoughts and comments.

This edition features three articles, each covering issues which are relevant to researchers working in this challenging economic climate. Gauging the public’s spending priorities considers the most effective ways for local councils to consult with citizens on the issue of budget setting. When two questions are better than one challenges the assumption that two survey questions should never be asked when one will do by looking at situations where asking extra questions can provide more reliable results. Meanwhile, Ten rules for objectivity considers the extent to which researchers can be objective and lists ten essential rules that they should follow to achieve objectivity.

If you would like to offer feedback or suggest topics that you would like to see covered in future editions of Approach, please email Sara Davidson or call Sara on 0131 226 8673.

Gauging the public’s spending priorities

As part of their ongoing budgetary deliberations, councils across the UK have been using research to identify the public’s spending priorities. Some of the more common approaches used have important weaknesses, however; weaknesses which have implications for the quality of the information obtained. This article considers the best ways to identify what matters most and least to the public.

When two questions are better than one

Common questionnaire design advice is: don’t ask two questions when one will do and don’t ask a question if you don’t need to know the answer. But sometimes one question won’t do. This article looks at situations where it’s better to ask two, three or even more questions instead of one, and to ask questions that you didn’t think you needed the answer to.

Ten rules for objectivity

Although bias is normally considered from a methodological standpoint – the quality of sampling frames and the representativeness of samples – the subjective biases of the researcher are rarely a consideration. One of the effects of the recession and cuts in budgets is that organisations are trying to keep costs down by bringing work in-house. This article considers the implications of this for objectivity and, having highlighted the minefield, provides ten rules that will allow you to stomp through it, whistling.

News and research summary

Latest news from Ipsos MORI Scotland including recent work around the economy and public sector spending cuts, and details of the forthcoming Scottish Public Opinion Monitor.

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Scottish Public Opinion Monitor

Our new opinion monitor offers a cost effective way for you to reach a representative sample of 1,000 adults from across Scotland about issues that matter to you.

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