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Section 3 Issues and concerns in research and consultation
3.01 Overcoming research fatigue
Research fatigue is frequently the problem underlying poor response rates and insufficient, inadequate data. It can be experienced by both researchers and respondents and commonly relates to problems with:
§ Clarity of research purpose
§ Research methods
§ Research execution
§ Practical action and outcomes based on research results
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Some typical features of respondent and researcher fatigue in relation to these four aspects are summarised in Figure 3.1 below.
Figure 3.1 Features of research fatigue
Respondent fatigue |
Researcher fatigue | |
Clarity of purpose |
§ Topic is irrelevant and uninteresting to respondents irrespective of data collection methods. § Research questions are decided by landlords and are irrelevant to respondents. § Research may be carried out too late (after the event). |
§ Researchers feel research lacks clarity of purpose. § Researchers feel research fails to ask questions that are genuinely useful. |
Research methods |
§ Respondents are tired of responding to ‘same old’ data collection methods (e.g. questionnaires, feedback forms) irrespective of research topic. § Research methods used do not energise or engage respondents. |
§ Researchers are experienced in one or two methods but lack confidence to try others § Research methods used do not energise or engage researchers. |
Research execution |
§ Topic relevant and interesting to respondents but respondents are tired of irrelevant questions or methods of data collection, particularly if respondents have already voiced discontent and are feeling that ‘nothing changes’. |
§ Researchers feel anxious that data quality is poor due to poorly worded questions, etc. § Researchers feel that research is restricted by clients brief/regulatory frameworks/demands for ‘hard’, ‘transparent’ data. § Researchers feel research is restricted by resources (time, money, personnel, etc). |
Practical action & outcomes |
§ Respondents are frustrated at spending time giving their opinions yet receiving no feedback about research findings § Respondents are frustrated with receiving feedback that seems misleading or lacks credibility (e.g. feedback such as 80% said X, when respondent knows that survey response rate was 20%). § Respondents receive feedback but changes arising from the research do not happen. |
§ Researchers do not see much changing as a result of the research findings. § Researchers feel frustrated that research may have raised respondents’ expectations but changes as a result of the research are unlikely to happen. |
Research for this guidance suggests that landlords are experiencing researcher and respondent fatigue in all four aspects. Overcoming research fatigue requires open, truthful and rigorous thinking about why fatigue is occurring and about what landlords can realistically do to counter it. The principles on which this guidance is based are designed to address these issues.
There is no quick fix to the issue of research fatigue. A strategic approach to service user research and consultation and the engagement of service users themselves in that process will help to ensure that research is relevant and has a clear purpose. Building on this, a utilisation-focussed research approach helps to develop robust and relevant research questions that are practical and clearly linked to action to improve services.
There is a strong emphasis in this guidance on using existing information and resources rather than always collecting new data, making better use of feedback from staff, collecting more regular information and integrating research and consultation into existing contacts with service users and groups.
Where new data collection is required, there are a range of more innovative tools and techniques included that are less commonly used but which may help to re-energise the research and consultation process. These include a range of qualitative and participatory techniques. An action research approach is one way to provide more ‘real-time’ and practical feedback about what’s working in the delivery of services.
