Principle 5 (Public Views and Engagement): The views of the public are considered in light of the data used and the perceived benefits of the research See our guidance on considering public views and engagement for research and statistics projects when completing this section
18. Public views
Low risk:
The public is widely supportive of the project aim and method
Average risk:
There is limited support of the project aim and methods from the public
High risk:
The public’s views of the project aims, and method are negative or unknown
Research does not happen in isolation, so the wider environment in which researchers operate should always be taken into account. This does not mean that the public’s views must be sought for every project, as this would be disproportionately time and resource consuming, but an overall awareness of public acceptability must be considered. Information from engagement events for similar projects, government initiatives, public polls and literature reviews are reasonable alternatives to large public consultations or focus and expert groups.
Back to top19. Public engagement
Low risk:
The research involves regular engagement with the public and/or stakeholders
Average risk:
The research involves some engagement, though it is not regular throughout the research project
High risk:
No public engagement has been conducted, or planned, as part of the project
Securing public engagement is one strategy for facilitating research projects. This could include engagement with the public or specialist/ interest groups. Although there are several approaches to public engagement, it is most effective to maintain regular engagement throughout the life cycle of the project. A project might be acceptable at the design phase but may warrant further engagement at a later stage, e.g. when producing outputs.
N/A: Omit this item when no public engagement is required and can be clearly justified (e.g. for the production of statistics as part of statutory responsibilities; or if the same, or a very similar, research project has already completed public consultation or public acceptability testing)
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