Ipsos MORI Scotland and Dr Christopher Carman from the University of Strathclyde, were commissioned by the Public Petitions Committee (PPC) to undertake research into perceptions of the Scottish Parliament’s petitions process. The research looked at why certain socio-demographic groups are less likely to engage with the public petitions process and what steps the PPC can take to increase participation among these groups.

The research comprised: a literature review on public political engagement, an international comparison study, a series of focus groups among individuals least likely to engage in the petitions process and a module of questions on a national face-to-face survey. The findings from the research were used to inform the PPC’s wider inquiry into the petitions process.

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Technical details

Fieldwork and the desk research were conducted in February and March 2009. For the national survey, Ipsos MORI Scotland interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,000 adults (aged 18+) in 104 randomly selected MORI Double Output Areas (MDOA) across the country. Within each selected MDOA, interviewer quotas were set by gender, age and working status.