Scottish Public Opinion Monitor

Why use the Monitor?

The Scottish Public Opinion Monitor is a quarterly telephone omnibus offering you access to a high quality, cost-effective survey of 1,000 adults across Scotland. The Monitor is renowned for its accuracy, the speed at which data is delivered and the expertise and insight offered by the team.

Taking part in the survey can cost as little as £500 to £750 per question, depending on the style and format of the question. Discounts are also available to clients wishing to ask multiple questions or take part in multiple waves of the survey.

A range of public, private and third sector organisations have used the Monitor to capture information about a variety of topics, including:

• attitudes towards particular issues relevant to their organisation or policy area
• awareness and perceptions of their brand or organisation tracked over time
• perceptions among current and potential users of their services.

The accuracy of our polls prior to the 2011 Scottish Parliament Election is testament to the high quality of our research design and methodology. We provide more information about the design of the survey below.

Sample

Respondents are selected using random digit dialling (RDD), which generates numbers within a fixed area at random, thus including unlisted and ex-directory telephone numbers. Further, because Ipsos MORI contacts people for genuine research purposes, we are exempt from the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

To ensure the achieved sample is broadly representative of the Scottish adult population (18+), sample quotas are set on age, sex, working status and region.

Fieldwork method

All interviews are conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Using CATI increases the accuracy and comparability of data as it allows complex questionnaires to be programmed and, by linking CATI to diallers, enables significant increases in the speed and efficiency of data collection. Using our computerised system, we can also make interim results available to you at any stage.

Timing

Fieldwork is conducted every quarter in February, May, August and November. The scale of our telephone operation team means that surveys can be completed within a few days (Thursday to Sunday), with full results available within one week of the end of fieldwork.

Analysis and reporting

As part of the core cost we provide a document listing topline findings and a full set of data tabulations from the survey, which include your questions analysed by key demographic variables. A range of standard demographic information is collected in the survey: age, sex, working status, number of children and adults in household, internet access, number of cars in household, deprivation level of area, rurality of area, tenure, country of birth, disability and political party support.

Additional reporting (charts or written reports) are available on request, at an additional charge.

Potential for further research

As part of the survey we ask respondents whether they would be willing to be contacted for follow-up research. Over the course of a year, we construct a panel of around 3,000 adults. This makes it possible for you to conduct follow-up research, either quantitative or qualitative, with specific groups of interest – for example people who hold certain views about your service or brand.

The next wave is scheduled to take place in May 2012. For more information, and to get involved, please contact a member of the team using the contact details on the right.