New survey to explore barriers to public engagement with research

The top 15 funders of publicly-funded research in the UK, including the Royal Society, are working together in a Consortium to review the current state of public engagement with research within higher education, research institutes and clinical settings across the UK.

The Consortium has commissioned research company, TNS-BMRB to carry out an attitudinal survey of researchers, and those working in a public engagement enabler role, along with some in-depth telephone interviews. The work will focus on developing a robust evidence base around the understanding of and participation in public engagement with research. The survey will build on the Royal Society Survey of factors affecting science communication from 2006, to ascertain changes in the sector since then and to provide a benchmark for future developments. It will include all academic disciplines with a view to highlighting the importance of public engagement and learning how to overcome barriers to it.

The Consortium includes organisations such as the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK. A full list of the Consortium is available on the Wellcome Trust website. 

The survey commenced in late May 2015, with results due to be announced in the autumn.