Survey Futures

Visit the Survey Futures website for further information

Main objective:

To deliver a step change in survey research to ensure that it will remain possible in the UK to carry out high quality social surveys of the kinds required by the public and academic sectors to monitor and understand society, and to provide an evidence base for policy.

Main aims:

1. To assess the quality implications of the most important survey design choices relevant to future UK social surveys
2. To provide good practice guidance and practical training materials
3. To identify promising ways to improve the capacity and skillset of both interviewers and research professionals and take steps towards making those improvements

Phase One Research Strands:

Aims:

1. To provide understanding of the key properties of alternative approaches to data collection in areas where these are not fully understood; provide guidance and tools for implementation of good practice approaches
2. To explore possibilities for gamechanging advances in other areas of survey data collection practice, recognising that these advances might only be realised in the medium- to long-term

Research Strand 1: Enhanced Sampling Frames and Procedures
Professor Paul Smith

Research Strand 2: Post-Pandemic Role of Interviewers
Ms Debbie Collins

Research Strand 3: Video-Interviewing
Mr Matt Brown

Research Strand 4: Methods for Surveys without Field Interviewers
Dr Olga Maslovskaya

Research Strand 5: Complex Measurement in Self-completion Surveys
Professor Lisa Calderwood

Research Strand 6: Reducing and Evaluating Mode Effects
Ms Jo D’Ardenne and Professor Annette Jäckle

Research Strand 7: Data Integration
Professor Joe Sakshaug

Training and Capacity Building Strand
Professor Gabriele Durrant and Ms Debbie Collins

Phase Two Research Strands:

To Be Identified

Presentations from the First Survey Practice Forum (June 2023):

• Introduction (Professor Peter Lynn and Dr Olga Maslovskaya)
• Research Strand 1: Enhanced Sampling Frames and Procedures (Professor Paul Smith)
• Research Strand 2: Post-Pandemic Role of Interviewers (Ms Debbie Collins)
• Research Strand 3: Video-Interviewing (Mr Matt Brown)
• Research Strand 4: Methods for Surveys without Field Interviewers (Dr Olga Maslovskaya)
• Research Strand 5: Complex Measurement in Self-completion Surveys (Professor Lisa Calderwood)
• Research Strand 6: Reducing and Evaluating Mode Effects (Ms Jo D’Ardenne)
• Research Strand 6: Identifying and Evaluating Mode Effects (Professor Annette Jäckle)
• Research Strand 7: Data Integration (Professor Joe Sakshaug)
• Training and Capacity Building Strand (Professor Gabriele Durrant and Ms Debbie Collins)

Team:

Director and Principal Investigator:

• Professor Peter Lynn (University of Essex)

Deputy Director and Co-Investigator:

• Dr Olga Maslovskaya (University of Southampton)

Co-investigators:

• Mr Matt Brown (UCL)
• Dr Jon Burton (University of Essex)
• Professor Lisa Calderwood (UCL)
• Dr Alex Cernat (University of Manchester)
• Ms Sam Clemens (Ipsos)
• Professor Gabriele Durrant (University of Southampton)
• Professor Rory Fitzgerald (City, University of London)
• Mr Tim Hanson (City, University of London)
• Professor Annette Jäckle (University of Essex)
• Dr Orla McBride (University of Ulster)
• Ms Gerry Nicolaas (NatCen)
• Dr Caroline Roberts (University of Lausanne)
• Professor Joe Sakshaug (University of Warwick)
• Professor Natalie Shlomo (University of Manchester)
• Professor Paul Smith (University of Southampton)
• Professor Peter WF Smith (University of Southampton)
• Professor Patrick Sturgis (LSE)
• Professor Nikos Tzavidis (University of Southampton)
• Mr Joel Williams (Verian)

Other Researchers:

• Ms Jo d’Ardenne (NatCen)
• Mrs Soazig Clifton (NatCen)
• Ms Debbie Collins (NatCen)
• Ms Ruxandra Comanaru (City, University of London)
• Mr Peter Cornick (NatCen)
• Mr Curtis Jessop (NatCen)
• Mrs Carole Sanchez (UCL)
• Ms Kate Taylor (NatCen)

Consultants:

• Mr Paul Bradshaw (ScotCen)
• Dr Carina Cornesse (DIW)
• Professor Mick Couper (University of Michigan)
• Ms Laura Wilson (ONS)

Project Institutions:

• University of Essex
• University of Southampton
• University College London (UCL)
• University of Warwick
• University of Manchester
• City, University of London
• National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)
• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• The University of Ulster
• The University of Lausanne
• Ipsos
• Kantar Public

Project Partners:

• National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM)
• Office for National Statistics (ONS): Ms Sarah Henry (Director of Methodology and Quality)