Social Survey Strategic Forum minutes: 20 July 2026

Published:

Attendees

Attendees

  • Alex Lambert – Office for National Statistics (ONS) 
  • Michael Davis – The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) 
  • Gerry Nicolaas – The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) 
  • Olga Maslovskaya – University of Southampton, Department of Social Statistics and Demography 
  • Bobby Duffy – Policy Institute, King’s College London 
  • Samantha Clemens – Ipsos 
  • Ed Dunn – Social Research Association (SRA) 
  • Debrah Harding – Market Research Society (MRS) 
  • Sophie Coombes – Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • Lewis Compton – Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Apologies

  • Nicola Fisher – NISRA
  • Peter Lynn – Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex
  • Beccy Shipman – ESRC
  • Steven McEachern – UK Data Service
  • Kylie Lovell – Department for Business and Trade
  • Ailie Clarkson – Scottish Government
  • Jennet Woolford – ONS
  • Ben Humberstone – Verian
  • Catrin Awoyemi – Welsh Government

Minutes

1. Welcome and progress update

  1. Opening remarks provided by the chair. 
  2. An update was shared on ONS National Statistician recruitment.
  3. A high-level overview was given in relation to actions following the previous meeting in April 2026, leading onto more detailed working group updates as per below.

2. Threat Statement Working Group – Update

  1. The Threat Statement working group lead, Ed Dunn, presented initial work to develop a shared framework for identifying and responding to risks facing the UK social survey sector.
  2. A draft risk register has been developed, grouping identified threats, risks and issues under four interconnected themes:
    • Public engagement and trust
    • Financial sustainability
    • Data integrity and quality
    • Future capability
  3. The group noted the framework remains under development and is not yet comprehensive.
  4. Feedback was sought on three key questions:
    • Who is the primary audience for this work?
    • What action is desired as a result of this effort?
    • What should the next steps be?

3. Threat Statement Working Group – Discussion Points

  1. Members agreed there was strong alignment between the work of both working groups.
  2. Discussion focused on declining survey participation, public trust, and the need to better understand the causes of non-response and disengagement.
  3. Members highlighted the importance of gathering further evidence on changing public attitudes, communication preferences, and the experiences of groups that are less likely to participate in surveys.
  4. There was recognition that the challenges identified could not be addressed by individual organisations acting alone and would require a coordinated, cross-sector response to have most impact.
  5. Members discussed the need to clearly define target audiences for different aspects of the work, including government, policymakers, research commissioners, and wider leadership communities.
  6. The importance of strengthening the evidence base was emphasised, including the use of data, case studies and research to support future investment and decision-making.
  7. Suggestions for next steps included stakeholder mapping, clarifying leadership responsibilities, and further developing the threat statement alongside a broader understanding of the issues and affected audiences.

4. System mapping working group – update

  1. The system mapping working group lead, Gerry, provided an update on its progress, covering the development of both a structural map and a heat map of the social survey landscape. The group explained the rationale for maintaining two separate outputs and invited feedback on the completeness of the maps and the appropriateness of the current risk ratings. Discussion focused on how the maps could be used to identify priority areas for intervention, support decision-making, and strengthen understanding of key risks and dependencies across the system.

5. System mapping working group – Discussion points

  1. Members reviewed a first draft of the system map developed by the working group, identifying challenges relating to governance, leadership, communication, quality assurance, and public engagement, and agreed that several areas should be reassessed as higher risk.
  2. Discussion highlighted the need for stronger cross-sector collaboration, increased investment in innovation and capability, and improved communication of the value and impact of social surveys to decision-makers and the public.
  3. Revised RAG ratings were discussed and considered by members across identified topics areas. The working group lead took feedback away to revise documents and re-circulate.

6. Strengthening Public Participation in Social Surveys

  1. Alex and Sophie shared thoughts on future actions which could be taken collectively as a Forum for discussion within the meeting, acknowledging time limitations, with an action to deliver a more detailed proposal at the next meeting in October.
  2. Members explored approaches to increasing public participation in UK Social Surveys, discussing possible ideas for future initiatives which could be led collectively by forum members.
  3. Discussion highlighted the importance of understanding declining response rates, better articulating the value and impact of social surveys, and improving public awareness of how survey findings inform decision-making.
  4. To support future public participation in Social Surveys, members identified the following points for further consideration:
    • The role of ONS and the new National Statistician in strengthening Social Survey leadership across government and the wider Social Survey landscape
    • Strategic coordination of stakeholder engagement
    • Increasing the visibility and impact of successful Social Survey Outcomes
  5. Members discussed whether participation should be framed primarily as a public contribution or through a clearer articulation of the benefits to participants, with further work proposed to develop the ideas and gather wider evidence.

7. Close

  1. The Chair closed the meeting, recapping the five action points agreed by the group:
    1. Collective action to improve / increase respondent engagement in UK Social Surveys with discussions to continue at the next meeting.
    2. Stronger stakeholder mapping for the whole social survey system is required to support development of the system map and our actions.
    3. Case studies showcasing the positive things happening across the sector are required to highlight the benefits of social surveys, with the group agreeing to develop case studies collectively across member organisations.
    4. Consideration of how to strengthen government leadership of social surveys and address the fragmentation which currently exists.
    5. Agree how we maximise the opportunities we have to come together and jointly work with purpose on the strategic challenges identified.
  2. As a new group, members briefly discussed way of working preferences to maintain momentum, with an action taken to seek feedback via correspondence.

8. Action log

  1. Update heat maps based on participant feedback – Gerry Nicolaas
  2. Consider options for strengthening leadership, sponsorship and representation of social surveys across government – Alex Lambert
  3. Develop proposals on improving public participation and related engagement approaches – Sophie Coombes / interested members
  4. Collate evidence and case studies demonstrating the value and impact of social surveys to support future engagement activity – All
  5. Collate and action ways of working next steps – Lewis Compton
  6. Progress with working group outputs (carried over from April 2026) – Gerry Nicolaas / Ed Dunn