Participation Unit - Participative Research

Harcourt Education — Client Immersion in school's preparation for the 14-19 agenda (ongoing): We are currently working with Harcourt Education to train their staff members to conduct depth interviews with Ipsos MORI on hand to provide advice and support where needed. The Ipsos MORI team will be involved throughout the project: from project design and recruitment through to analysis and reporting.

Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) — reaching the 'hard to reach' (ongoing): Ipsos MORI were commissioned to recruit participants from traditionally hard to reach audiences including travellers, gypsies, LGBT and so on. In order to do this effectively we used a number of techniques including snowballing and training participants to become recruiters in order to penetrate deeper into communities.

Drugwatch for the Home Office — A pilot study of emerging trends in illicit drugs in England and Wales (2004-5): With the objective of identifying new trends in drug use and supply, the treatment of drug users and issues surrounding youth drug misuse and community responses to the problem, Ipsos MORI conducted telephone interviews with drug professionals (including treatment providers, police, probation, Drug Action Team staff and youth workers) and face-to-face interviews with drug users in ten locations across the UK. This research also included an element of peer interviewing where ex-drug users were trained to conduct a number of the interviews.

Consumer Panel/Peer Research, OfCom (2004): we helped OfCom set up an independent Panel to advise them on consumer interests in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. The Panel had a particular focus on those who may have been overlooked or left behind by the communications market, including those in BME communities, the young, the elderly and those living in rural locations. By combining elements of both observation and peer research we were able to ensure that the Panel developed a real and detailed understanding of the communications needs of these particular groups and was able to draw fully on the views and experiences of a wide range of people by using respondents as researchers.

The research was conducted in two stages. The moderator met with the respondent for an initial depth interview and, following on from this, the participant conducted their own research, by speaking to their friends, family and colleagues about the issues raised in the interview.

Brand Perceptions for Birmingham University (2004): after taking part in focus groups, undergraduates at the University were recruited to become 'citizen researchers'. They were asked to interview two third-year friends who were thinking about, and planning, postgraduate research and deciding where to go. The citizen researcher and their interviewee were then asked to challenge each others conceptions of academic reputation and their decision making for choosing a university for post-graduate study. Following this, the citizen researcher was asked to write a brief report based on an outline developed by MORI, and to send it to us.