Survey nonresponse research: appendices

Appendix E: Topic guides

Stakeholder groups: field interviewers topic guide

Introductions (5-10 mins)

• Introduce self and role in research team – Ipsos working with Professor Peter Lynn, who’s leading a big UK-wide project called Survey Futures.
• Recap the research:
  • Commissioned by SG, being managed by Office of Chief Statistician who are responsible for the SG’s overall approach to their big surveys
  • Twin aims: improving understanding of the reasons why people don’t respond to the Scottish Government’s surveys, and producing actionable and testable potential solutions to this.
  • Focus on behavioural solutions – i.e. largely ones that might change how individuals respond to / engage with surveys.
    • Know there are other important issues around survey response – including industry challenges around recruiting and keeping good interviewers.
    • Important to acknowledge this wider context – but it’s not the main focus of this discussion, so we may move on if the discussion starts to focus on those types of issues.
  • Acknowledge the unique value of field interviewers’ experience – this is an opportunity to pick your brains on ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ ways you have tried to increase response rates on the doorstep. Ultimately, field interviewers are the only people who have first-hand experiences of the challenges of nonresponse.
  • These groups are at an early stage in the research. We’re also doing:
    • A literature review, looking at what is already known about nonresponse and the effectiveness of different strategies to encourage people to take part
    • Analysis of changes in who does and does not take part in SHS, SCJS and SHeS over time
    • General public focus groups, focusing on groups known to be less likely to respond to surveys.
    • Group discussions with SHS, SCJS and SHeS survey leads at the Scottish Government and at Ipsos and ScotCen, and
    • A workshop with key stakeholders for the three Scottish Government surveys to discuss the findings and refine ideas for future development and testing on the three surveys.
• Consent and confidentiality
  • Pleased you’ve agreed, but taking part is still voluntary!
  • There are no right or wrong answers – we’re interested in your honest opinions and these will not affect your role as an interviewer with Ipsos and/or ScotCen.
  • Very conscious that it’s a strange dynamic being interviewed by someone from an organisation you work at, or with, so if I ask anything that makes people uncomfortable or you’d rather not comment on, hope you will feel free to say.
  • Would like to record the discussion, with your permission, so I can listen back and make notes. Will also auto-transcribe it to help with my notes. Recording will be securely stored in separate folder, not shared outside the research team, and destroyed at the end of the project
  • With your consent, we may also include quotes in the outputs.
  • We wouldn’t attribute these to named individuals, but would just attribute to, e.g., ‘Group 1: SHS field interviewers’. We’d also ask you to respect each other’s confidentiality and not to share things other people have said outside this group.
  • However, we realise that you may still feel you’re identifiable given small number of people in this group – so if you don’t want your answers included, or you don’t want to be quoted on particular topics, you can let me know during or after the group.
• Any questions before we start?
• Ask for permission to record
• Obs on – each person to confirm:
  • Name
  • Length of experience as an interviewer – overall and for relevant survey
  • What other surveys they’ve worked on in the past
  • Happy to take part and be recorded

General reflections on changing challenge of nonresponse (35-40 mins)

• Wanted to get your views on the main reasons that some people do not take part in [SHS / SCJS / SHeS]? Realise this is a broad question, but useful to understand what you see as the main barriers. Hoping we can just get all the main issues down quite quickly to start with, so just shout them out and I’ll type them on screen to create a sort of map of everything we can think of. We’ll come back and talk about them in more detail once we’ve mapped them all out.
  • Share screen and type all the different reasons they give as they shout them out, so they can see them and you can come back to them.
• Then probe for each reason they mention:
  • Has this issue always been a challenge, or has it become more of a challenge over time?
    • When do you think it started becoming a bigger issue? Why do you think this was?
      • If pandemic not mentioned: Has it changed since the pandemic? How?
      • Is this issue more or less of a challenge on SHS / SHeS/ SCJS than on the other surveys you work on? Can you explain how they compare? Why do you think this is?
      • Is this something you’ve been told by potential respondents, or is there another reason you think this is an issue? (want to know what their views are based on – what respondents say, what they observe, hunch, etc.)

Note: Make sure to leave enough time to probe on the reasons below if they’ve not already been mentioned:

Here are some other reasons that people might not take part in surveys. Have you come across any of these on SHS / SCJS / SHeS?

• Then probe as above for any additional reasons this identifies:
  • Always a challenge, or more of a challenge over time? When and why?
  • More or less of a challenge on SHS / SHeS / SCJS than other surveys?
  • Reasons for thinking this is an issue – mentioned by potential respondents, observation, other reason?
• See list below – read out reasons which the group have not mentioned spontaneously
  • Lack of time
  • Hard to commit to a specific time for interview
  • Accessibility or disability-related barriers
  • Literacy / comprehension skills
  • Privacy concerns (probe on what people say about this – what exactly are they concerned about?)
  • Being invited to too many surveys (survey fatigue)
  • Lack of interest – what do people actually say when they say they’re not interested? Any inkling as to why / what makes them uninterested?
  • Expecting to be able to do it online – do people ask to be able to do the survey online and refuse if unable to?
  • Expecting an incentive / reward – what are people looking for in terms of incentives?
  • Distrust of government or survey organisations – again, what do people say about this?
  • Perceived impact of surveys – what do people believe about the value or impact of surveys? To what extent do they see it as a worthwhile thing to do?
  • Don’t want to let someone into their house – do people still mention Covid as a concern here or not?
• What about what motivates people to take part?
  • What do you think motivates people to do SHS / SHeS / SCJS?
  • Has this changed over time?
  • How do motivations vary between different groups of people?
• In your view, are there are any particular groups of people who are less likely to take part in SHeS/SHS/SCJS?
  • Have they always been less likely to take part, or has this changed over time?
  • Why do you think this is?
• Going back to the different barriers we wrote down, do you think any of these barriers you’ve talked about are more of an issue for particular groups or participants? Which ones?
• Show list of barriers on screen again. If not mentioned, probe on:
  • Younger / older participants?
  • Different education levels?
  • Urban / rural?
  • Different ethnic backgrounds?
  • Disabled people?
• If not already covered: Have there been any changes over time in what potential respondents say to you on the doorstep?
  • What?
  • When did this change?
  • Why do you think this is?
• If not already covered: And have you noticed changes over time in terms of how easy it is to get someone to answer the door at all?
  • In what ways?
  • When did this change?
  • Why do you think this is?
• If not already covered: Have you noticed any changes over time in how easy it is to get people to agree beyond the first part of the survey? In particular:
  • SHS – getting someone to do the random adult section, especially if someone other than the householder is selected?
  • SHS – the surveyor visit?
  • SCJS – the self-completion section?
  • SHeS – getting all adults to take part?
  • SHeS – getting any physical measurements or samples?

Tips and techniques used to address nonresponse (15-20 mins)

We know that field interviewers are experts in persuading/encouraging people to take part in SG surveys. We’re keen to hear about any tips and techniques which you have used, or which you have heard about other interviewers using. We want to find out which ones have worked well for you, and any you’ve tried but didn’t work well.

• Imagine I’m starting my first day as an interviewer on SHS / SCJS / SHeS. What advice would you give me about how to encourage people to agree to take part in the SHS / SCJS / SHeS?
  • Anything about how to avoid non-contacts / catch people in?
  • Anything about the way you interact with respondents on the doorstep?
    • Probe in detail – what else do you do that works?
  • Anything about how you use materials like letters or postcards?
  • Anything about how you capture their attention?
  • Anything about how you describe the survey to people?
  • Anything else you would do? Visit at certain time of day, etc?
• What useful advice have you yourself heard from others or have you used yourself?
  • Why did they give you this advice – what was the challenge you were aiming to overcome?
  • Did you try it? Did it work? Do you still use it?
• Do you find these tips work better / worse for certain groups of people than others?
  • Which ones? Why?
  • If not mentioned, probe on:
    • Younger / older participants?
    • Different education levels?
    • Urban / rural?
    • Different ethnic backgrounds?
    • Disabled people?

Interventions taken part in to address nonresponse (15-20 mins)

Now we’d like to know your opinions about some of the more ‘formal’ protocols and procedures that could be introduced to try and get more people to agree to take part. Some of these might be things that you’ve experienced different versions of over the years, so if you have reflections on things that have worked well and less well, we’re really interested to hear this.

Facilitator note: A £10 voucher is offered for completion of SHeS. Incentives are not currently offered for SHS or SCJS. For SHS, in 2020 and 2021, tote bags were sent alongside the advance letters. For SHS and SCJS, in 2021, respondents were given £20 incentive for completion.

• What are your experiences of offering incentives for surveys in general?
  • How useful would you say they are?
    • What does this depend on? Value? Type of incentive (voucher, cash, non-monetary)? When they’re offered (e.g. in the advance letter, on the doorstep, after initial refusal)? Type of respondent? Type of survey?
  • When do you tend to mention incentives? Do participants ask specifically for them?
• How has the importance of incentives changed over time?
• How much does the interview length affect getting people to take part in the SHS / SHeS / SCJS?
  • Note: Move on from this if not seen as important
  • Who does it tend to matter most to?
  • Do you think more people would take part in SHS / SHeS / SCJS if the survey was 5 minutes shorter?
  • How about if it was 10 or 20 minutes shorter?
  • Has the impact of the survey length on whether people to take part has changed over time? If yes, How?
• What about materials provided to try and help with doorstop interactions?
  • Advance letters?
  • Materials to leave behind (like a leaflet, postcard, etc)?
  • Have there been examples of materials you’ve thought were particularly good over the years (on SHS / SHeS / SCJS or other surveys)?
  • Has their importance changed over time?
  • Note: Move on from this more quickly if not seen as important
• Do you remember anything else being tried on any of the other surveys you’ve worked on over the years?
  • How effective was this in getting people to take part?
• Which, if any, did you think were least effective? Why?
• Which, if any, of all the things you’ve spoken about did you think were most effective in getting people to take part? Why? How did they help?
• Are there any other ideas that you have for things that would be worth changing / introducing on SHS / SHeS / SCJS to get more people to take part? Probe fully – what other ideas do people have?
• If mentioned specific groups who have become harder to persuade – what might help with this group?

Ending and next steps (2 mins)

• Anything else you want to add?
• Do they have any questions for us about the research?
• Reminder to contact me if anything would rather not be included/quoted on (make sure they have your contact details)
• General consent to get back to them if we have any further questions.
• Thank and close.

Stakeholder groups: survey leads topic guide

Introductions (5 mins)

• Introduce self and role in research team – Ipsos working with Professor Peter Lynn, Lead on the ESRC’s Survey Futures project.
• Recap the research:
  • Commissioned by SG, being managed by Office of Chief Statistician
  • Twin aims: extending understanding of the challenge posed by nonresponse on the Scottish Government’s surveys, and producing actionable and testable potential solutions
  • Context is obviously RRs falling over time across all types of surveys, UK-wide and internationally – so may be relevant things you want to mention from outside the Scotland projects, as they’re obviously not unique in the challenges they’re facing.
  • Focus on behavioural solutions – i.e. largely ones that might change how individuals respond to / engage with surveys.
    • Know there are other important issues around survey response – including industry challenges around interviewer recruitment.
    • Important to acknowledge this wider context – but it’s not the main focus of this discussion. We also recognise that discussing these issues does potentially risk straying into commercially sensitive territory. So not that we don’t want you to discuss these issues where relevant – but might steer focus back to areas where we can develop interventions that might impact potential respondent behaviours.
  • Acknowledge that scope is huge – not expecting you to provide answers, or to summarise everything that’s ever been learned on nonresponse from SHS, SCJS, SHeS. Rather, it’s an opportunity to pick your brains for any aspects of nonresponse we might not have considered, and for you to share your reflections, as the people who actually deliver the studies, on what has, or might, work (or not) to address nonresponse that may not have been captured in technical reports etc.
  • This group is first stage in the research, and will be followed by:
    • Group discussions with SHS, SCJS and SHeS interviewers
    • A desk-based review of literature on nonresponse, and behavioural literature that might be relevant to understanding it / developing potential solutions
    • Secondary analysis of metadata on response to SHS, SCJS and SHeS over time
    • General public focus groups, focusing on groups less likely to respond to surveys
    • A stakeholder workshop at the end, to share findings and further refine ideas for possible testing on SHS, SCJS and SHeS in future.
• Consent and confidentiality
  • Pleased you’ve agreed, but taking part is still voluntary!
  • Very conscious that it’s a strange dynamic being interviewed by someone you work with / a competitor / a contractor, so if I ask anything that makes people uncomfortable or you’d rather not comment on, hope you will feel free to say.
  • Would like to record the discussion, with your permission, so I can listen back and make notes. Will also potentially auto-transcribe it to help with my notes. Recording will be securely stored in separate folder, not shared outwith the research team, and destroyed at the end of the project
  • With your consent, we may also include quotes in the outputs.
  • We wouldn’t attribute these to named individuals, but would just attribute to ‘Group 1: survey managers and contractors’.
  • However, we realise that you may still feel you’re identifiable given small number of people in this group – so if you don’t want your answers included, or you don’t want to be quoted on particular topics, you can let me know during or after the group.
• Any questions before we start?
• Ask for permission to record – for me to listen back to and make notes, won’t share. Will hold recordings securely and destroy at end of project.
• Obs on – each person to confirm name, role, length of involvement with relevant survey, and that happy to take part and be recorded.

General reflections on changing challenge of nonresponse (40 mins)

• Project is involving a literature review and analysis of survey metadata on response – so we don’t need you to talk through detail of how response rates have changed over time on the SG surveys. BUT while we hope these elements will shed light on the nature and reasons for nonresponse, we also know that it’s really difficult to isolate and quantify each of the things that might be driving nonresponse, and that people’s views on what is driving it are still developing, especially post-pandemic.
• Given this, wanted to start by ask you for your reflections on what you think are the main factors driving nonresponse to your surveys? Realise this is a broad question, but useful to understand where you see the main challenges.
• How far do you think the main nonresponse challenges on your survey (SHS/SCJS/SHeS) are the same or different to other surveys?
  • To other f2f government surveys?
  • To government surveys conducted by other modes?
  • To non-government surveys?
• One simple way of thinking about response is that nonresponse is driven by a combination of:
  • Interviewer availability
  • Interviewer skill
  • Respondent availability to take part (driving non-contacts)
  • Respondent willingness to take part (driving refusals)
  • Respondent ability to take part
• Which of these do you see as the biggest challenge contributing to nonresponse on your survey? Why?
  • Has the balance between these factors, in terms of their contribution to response rates on the SG surveys, changed over time? How? Why?
  • Is this the same for all surveys? Or is it different for SG surveys? Or F2F surveys vs. other surveys?
  • Over what time period have these challenges changed/become more of a problem? Longer-term vs. immediately pre- to post-pandemic?
• Do you think the drivers of nonresponse are different for different groups of respondents to your surveys?
  • Younger / older participants?
  • Different education levels?
  • Urban / rural?
  • Different ethnic backgrounds?
  • Disabled people?
• How confident do you feel that you understand what is driving nonresponse?
  • How far are views on drivers hunches vs. things it’s possible to evidence?
• What sorts of feedback do you get from your fieldforce on the reasons for nonresponse to SHS, SCJS and SHeS?
  • Has this feedback changed over time?
• What are the main issues around nonresponse that you feel are less well understood?
  • Are these issues more challenging to unpack in general, or on your surveys specifically?
  • What more would you want to know about these issues?

Interventions that might help address nonresponse (40 mins)

Know that there have been many experiments over the years to try and improve response across SG surveys (and on other projects). Again, can pick evidence on these up from literature review, but wanted to explore your views on both learning from previous experiments and ideas about potential future interventions that would / would not be worth trying to try and address this.

Reflecting on previous experiments to try and address nonresponse …

• Are there any you feel are worth revisiting on any of the SG surveys? For example, experiments that didn’t quite work, but where you think they could have worked if they’d been adapted.
• Are there any types of interventions intended to boost response that you would caution against revisiting / trying? Why?
  • Value for money / cost?
  • Effectiveness?
  • Reputation?
  • Boosting response among those who are already more likely to respond?
  • Any specific training for interviewers?

Thinking through the different elements/stages of your survey and whether / how these could be to reduce nonresponse, what are your reflections on:

• The survey invitation materials?
  • How attention-grabbing are they?
  • What might make them stand out more?
  • How important are they in encouraging people to take part? How effective are they in doing so?
  • (How) do you think they could be improved? Are there any barriers to changing them?
• Interviewer interactions with respondents (probe fully as this is a key ‘hidden’ element)
  • What do the best interviewers do to get interviews?
    • What are they key skills needed for this?
  • What strategies do interviewers use to effectively capture attention of participants on the doorstep?
  • Is there anything else you’re aware of interviewers doing on the doorstep that helps motivate potential interviewees to participate?
  • What do interviewers seem to struggle most with in terms of barriers to response?
  • Do you have a sense interviewers are finding it harder than they once did to persuade people on SHS/SCJS/SHeS? In what ways?
  • Are interviewers reporting changes in the reasons people give for not taking part over time? In what way?
    • Probe: time constraints, data privacy concerns, perceived relevance, changing social norms, trust in government
  • Are there other changes that are making things harder for interviewers? E.g. entry phones? Doorbell cameras? More single-person households?
• Survey processes
  • Are there specific elements of the way that the survey is structured that you think potential participants find off-putting when deciding whether to take part or not?
  • Would it be possible to change this?
• Incentives
  • Will obviously be looking at the evidence on incentives as part of the literature review, but also helpful to understand your views / those of SG survey key stakeholders on using them – are there limits to the type of incentives that can be considered on SG surveys to improve response?
  • What about differential incentives? E.g. higher in more deprived areas?
  • Or discretionary ones, where interviewers can choose to offer more to achieve an interview?
• Is there anything else in the way the SG surveys are designed / implemented that you think creates a barrier to taking part for respondents?
  • Why are these barriers to participation?
  • Are these things that could, feasibly, be changed? What would be the trade-offs of changing this to improve response?

Ending and next steps (2 mins)

• Anything else you want to add?
• Do they have any questions for us about the research?
• Reminder to contact me if anything would rather not be included/quoted on
• General consent to get back to them if we have any further questions.
• Thank and close.

General Public groups: topic guide

Introductions (10 mins)

• Thank participants for taking part and introduce self and role in research team.
• Explain format of interview / group and how long it will last
  • I’ll start by giving you a bit of background and talking through what we’ll be doing
  • Then we’ll chat for about 90 minutes (30 if 1-1, 45-60 if paired/small group)
• Check they (all) got an information sheet

Key points to reiterate:

• Ipsos, the independent research organisation, has been asked by the civil service part of the Scottish Government to carry out research on the reasons why some people don’t take part in surveys.
• The civil service and the Scottish Government use surveys to make decisions about all kinds of policies and services. Because of this, it is important that these surveys accurately represent the Scottish population.
• But we know not everyone takes part when asked. So the main aim of this research is to understand the reasons why some people might not take part in government surveys and to think of possible ideas to encourage people to take part.

Consent and confidentiality:

• Pleased you’ve agreed, but taking part is still voluntary!
• There are no right or wrong answers – we’re interested in your honest opinions. (Groups only) We know that people might have different views too, so disagreement is good, as long as it’s respectful.
• Would like to record the discussion, with your permission, to save us taking notes. Will auto-transcribe it afterwards. Recording will be securely stored in separate folder, not shared outside the research team, and destroyed at the end of the project
• With your consent, we may include quotes in the report, but these would be anonymous. No identifying information about individuals (e.g. names or contact details) will be passed on to anyone outside the research team (me and my colleagues at Ipsos).
• Emphasise that taking part is completely voluntary
• Remind that they are free to change their mind and decide not to take part at any time during the group, or after the group until the findings have been written up.
• As a thank you, you’ll receive a voucher for your time. We / Fieldmouse will check in with you about this at the end.
• Check if participants have any questions.
• Press record:
  • Please can each of you introduce yourself (just your first name), where abouts you live, and confirm you’re happy to take part and be recorded for Ipsos to listen back to.
  • Go round table/screen.

Experience of research / surveys (10-15 mins – don’t spend too long on general Qs at start – make sure cover govt surveys)

• To get us started, I’d like to know what do you think of when you hear the word ‘survey’? (To explore whether thinking of the type of survey we are focused on, or something else)

Note down on flipchart or powerpoint slide what they mention.

• If needed (only if struggle to answer): What words come to mind? What do you think surveys involve? What are they for? Who are they for?

Have you been asked to take part in any surveys over the past five years? What were these? (add to flip/screen)

• And have you been asked to take part in any government surveys in the last 5 years?
• If unclear, probe (briefly) on:
  • What was the survey about?
  • Did you take part or not?
  • What would taking part have involved for you / what did taking part involve?
  • Was there a particular reason you decided to do that survey / decided not to take part? Probe fully.

Use flip chart/screen to note reasons for/against taking part (if people are mentioning same things, probe on other reasons)

• Are some surveys more attractive or appealing to you to take part in than others?
  • Probe on: Which ones?
  • What is it that makes these ones more attractive to you?
  • What difference does the topic of the survey make? What topics would be more or less likely to encourage you to take part?
• (COM-B: Psychological Capability): Can you remember any examples of surveys that have really caught your attention, whether or not you actually took part in it?
  • What was it that made it noticeable?
• If not mentioned: Do you remember being asked to taking part in Scotland’s Census in 2022?
  • Did you complete the census?
  • What were the main reasons you did / did not complete it?
• (COM-B: Social Opportunity): Ahead of today’s discussion, we asked if you could ask people that you know whether they tend to take part in surveys/research. Who did you speak to and what did they tell you?
  • What reasons did they give for why they do or don’t tend to take part in surveys?

Check through list below – if any these haven’t come up already, ask: One of the reasons other people have given for why people might not take part in government surveys is (reason). Is this something that would be an issue for you? Can you explain why?

• Lack of time
• Having a disability or health condition
• Worries about how your answers will be used
• Don’t trust government
• There are just too many surveys
• Not interested in doing surveys
• Don’t see the point in taking part
• Has how you feel about taking part in surveys changed over time?
  • Do you think you respond differently when you’re asked to take part in a survey now, compared with how you might have responded 5 years ago? If yes, why?
  • For 25+ groups – how about compared with 10 or 20 years ago? Has how you feel about doing surveys changed at all?

Reactions to the SHS advance letter (15 mins)

Explain that we’re going to take them through the process of being invited to take part in a real Scottish Government survey, the Scottish Household survey. First thing that would happen is that an advanced letter would be sent to your address.

For online groups: Show a mocked up SHS envelope on screen OR ask them to retrieve a real SHS envelope which we have posted to them in advance where possible (have the on-screen version on standby for those who have misplaced/not received their real copy).

For in-person groups: Hand out a real SHS envelope with the invite letter in it (one per person).

Ask them to look at the envelope, but please do not open it yet.

• What are your first impressions of this letter?
• How likely or unlikely would you be to open the envelope? Why?
  • Is there anything about the envelope that about it puts you off? Is there anything that makes you curious about opening it?
  • If would not open it: What would you do with it?
  • Extra probes if needed/if time:
  • (Put to one side, search for info, throw away?)
  • When you get other post that you’re not expecting, what do you do with it? What affects whether you read it or not? Are there any types of post you’re more or less likely to read or open?

Now ask them to open the envelope (or show them the letter on screen). Ask them to have a look at the letter

(If they say they would open it - give them a few mins to read it. If wouldn’t open it - just give them chance to have a quick look and don’t spend long on the rest of this envelope section)

• If you had opened the envelope and saw this in it, would you read it? Why / why not?
• What are your first impressions of this letter?
• What, if anything, appeals to you about the letter? What doesn’t appeal?
  • Probe on the look / layout as well as content.
• Would you trust the letter was genuine? Why (not)? What, if anything, could be changed to convince you it was genuine?
• What do you think about the letter having the Scottish Government logo on it? How does this make you feel about it? (want to know if makes it more / less appealing/trustworthy).
• What if it said ‘Office of the Chief Researcher’ instead? Would you feel any differently about it or not? Why (not)?
• What if it said ‘National Statistics’ instead? Would that make any difference? Why (not)?
• (COM-B Reflective motivation): How would you feel about the fact it was a Scottish Government survey specifically? Probe – more or less likely to want to take part? Why?
• If would read letter: How would you feel about taking part in the survey, after you’d read the letter? Why?
• Is there anything in the letter which you don’t understand? What?

Interviewer calling (10 mins)

After receiving the invitation letter, the next step in the Scottish Household Survey would be for an interviewer to call at your door.

• How would you feel if you opened the door and someone told them they were working on a Scottish Government Survey and your household has been selected to take part?
• (COM-B: Automatic Motivation): What would your gut reaction be?
• If they would shut the door: What, if anything, might change your mind about closing the door?
• What might your reaction depend on?
• Probes if needed
• Would it vary (and in what way) depending on:
• the day?
• the time?
• what you were doing at the time?
• who else was with you?
• (If not covered concerns/what might address these already) What concerns would you have (if any)? (add to flipchart if useful, to make sure capture all concerns)
• What, if anything, could the interviewer say to ease these concerns?
• What, if anything, could the interviewer do to ease these concerns?
• Probe fully on all concerns mentioned
• What, if anything, would you expect from someone who was conducting a Scottish Government survey specifically? E.g. what would you expect them to do to reassure you they were working on a genuine Scottish Government survey?

More info on the survey (10 mins)

Next, the interviewer would tell you a bit more about the survey and what is involved.

Please imagine that you have agreed to hear what they have to say.

Here is some more information about the SHS which an interviewer might tell you:

• The Scottish Household Survey has been commissioned by the Scottish Government every year since 1999.
• The survey asks questions on a wide range of topics; including internet, volunteering, environment, travel, housing, and neighbourhoods.
• Ipsos, an independent research organisation, conducts over 10,000 face-to-face interviews with members of the public.
• Interviewers call at randomly selected households – this includes every kind of household in both cities and countryside.
• Interviews last around 45 minutes.
• It is used by the Scottish and local government to shape policy and laws that impact people’s lives.
  • For example, in transport, understanding travel patterns meant planning for future infrastructure like the Queensferry crossing. In housing, new regulations were created to protect tenants, following a big increase in the rental market.
• Based on all the information you’ve now read and heard, is this something you can see yourself doing or not?
  • If not: Why not? What puts you off?
• How would you feel about the interviewer asking to come inside for around 45 minutes to conduct the interview?
• (COM-B: Reflective Motivation): What type of people do you think typically agree to complete surveys like this?
• Is there any other information would you want to help decide whether it is something you want to take part in?
  • What questions would you have for the interviewer, if any?
  • What assurances, if any, would you want?
• (Especially anyone with accessibility requirements): Would you feel confident that you would be able to take part?
  • What would help you feel more confident that you would be able to take part?
  • How should this be communicated?
• Would you expect to be offered anything in return for taking part in something like this? What? Why?

Wrapping up on the SHS (5 mins)

• Before today, had you heard of the Scottish Household Survey? (SHS)
  • What about the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey? (SCJS)
  • Or the Scottish Health Survey? (SHeS)
  • If yes: What have you heard about the survey(s)?
• How do you think that the Scottish Government uses the data from these surveys?
• (If time) Is the SHS similar or different to what you normally think of when you think about what a survey might be like? What is similar / different?
• (If time) Having talked through the whole process:
  • What would be the main barriers or issues that would put you off doing a survey like this?
  • And what, if anything, are the main things that might make it appeal to you?

Reactions to possible interventions (15 mins)

• The Scottish Government is currently looking at ways of ensuring that more people from a wide range of backgrounds, and with different characteristics and experiences, agree to take part in their surveys.
• What, if any, suggestions do you have that might make surveys more appealing to you, and people you know? Use flip chart/screen to note these down
• I’m now going to share a few suggestions we have heard from other people. For each of these suggestions, I’m interested in hearing your honest opinions as to whether you think they would make you any more likely to take part in a government survey:

Put up slide/flip chart with list of suggestions.

1. Advertising the surveys in council offices, GP surgeries or elsewhere.

• If the government were going to advertise their surveys so that more people are aware of them and what they’re used for, what would you suggest?
  • Probe on different options (nb if they say TV/Radio, probe on less expensive options!)

2. Shortening the surveys

• How long do you think you / people you know would be willing to spend completing a government survey?
• The surveys we are talking about take on average 40 minutes or so
  • Would it make you more or less likely to take part if the surveys were 20 minutes?
  • Or if the surveys were 10 minutes, and you could then decide whether to continue face-to-face, finish it online, or stop?

3. Telling more people about how the how the surveys are used, and the impacts of the surveys. This could be in the advance letter, or on the doorstep.

• Examples:
• Estimates of fuel poverty have been used to monitor progress to reduce fuel poverty in Scotland (in Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Act 2019).
• Data on transport and household energy efficiency have been used to inform Scottish Government’s climate change policies.
• Data on personal travel patterns allow Scottish Government to predict future transport needs. This informs where Scottish Government and local councils allocate funding for future transport infrastructure.

4. Changing how the surveys are described, so that they talk about ‘An important government study’ or similar, instead of a ‘survey’.

• Would this make you more or less likely to take part?

5. Offering financial incentives, like vouchers you can use in shops or online

• If you were offered a voucher, would that make you any more likely to take part?
• What if you were offered cash instead of a voucher?
• What level of incentive do you think would be appropriate?
• What level, if any, might sway you to take part?

6. Offering the option of taking part either online or by telephone instead?

• Would this make you more or less likely to take part?
• When would you want to be offered the chance to take the survey online or by telephone? In the advance letter, or on the doorstep?
  • Which is least likely?
  • Why is that?
• Which, if any, of these ideas do you think is most likely to change how you might feel about being asked to take part? Please be honest!
• Has this discussion made you think about any other potential ways or making these kinds of surveys more appealing to you, and people you know?

Thank and close (5 mins)

If Fieldmouse: Fieldmouse should be in touch after the group to sort out your thank you payment.

If not fieldmouse: check what type of voucher they would prefer, and explain will send out shortly, but may take a few days if need to order from Finance. Make sure they have your email in case they have any questions.