Regulation market research

Although the role of authority and jurisdiction of public sector regulatory bodies can vary greatly, not only by category but by individual remit, they have a core set of responsibilities: they must be impartial, objective and demonstrate evidence-based decision-making. At DJS Research, we have a long and successful track record of helping regulators to obtain the actionable insight they need, delivering effective research solutions and tailored outputs which stand up to public scrutiny, helping to build confidence and trust.

We have worked with regulators across a wide range of public sector specialisms, from environmental organisations to major economic and utilities regulators. Our public sector team are policy experts with a deep understanding of the wider social and political context in which regulators operate. We have designed and managed tailored research programmes for regulators among consumers and businesses, as well as within organisations themselves, often drawing on a mix of methodologies to deliver the specific audiences required.

DJS Research snapshots of our market research projects with UK regulators:

Competition & Markets Authority (CMA): We have conducted a number of surveys for the CMA in recent years with both consumers and businesses, including:

• A representative sample of 600 UK businesses for the Office for the Internal Market. The core objective was to obtain data on the prevalence and importance to UK businesses of selling goods and services across borders.
• A survey of 1,700+ businesses to inform a car parts merger inquiry.
• A push to web survey among the general population to inform an inquiry into the mobile phone market, as well as an accompanying online survey among customers of specific mobile phone providers.

Legal Ombudsman: This annual tracking survey consists of over 500 interviews each year with legal professionals in SMEs to understand satisfaction with the Ombudsman Service.

Consumer Council for Water (CCW): We have conducted a wide range of projects for CCW over many years among consumers and businesses, including:

• The CCW 'Testing the Waters' business satisfaction survey which runs every two years: Since 2020 we have worked with CCW to recruit a representative sample of business decision-makers across England and Wales and conducting 3,000+ CATI interviews.
• Affordability studies to examine the specific experiences and attitudes of customers on low incomes. Our research outputs were used to update and expand CCW’s understanding of the needs of financially vulnerable customers. We held 40 one-hour in-depth interviews with a range of customers on low incomes across England and Wales. Prior to their interview, all respondents completed a task (either online or on paper) to understand their attitudes to money, impact of the pandemic and to record any in-the-moment trade-offs they were making when considering spending money. As a qualitative piece of research, the focus was on collecting rich, detailed insight from a relatively small number of people, as opposed to a nationally representative survey of hundreds of people.

Electoral Commission Youth Public Opinion study: This project consisted of both qualitative and quantitative research among children and young people aged 11–25 across the UK to understand their knowledge of, and interest, attitudes and behaviours towards UK politics. The research involved pre-consultation focus groups; cognitive depths; an online survey of over 2,500 children and young people (nationally representative), followed by a series of post-analysis focus groups.

Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR): This project required close engagement of charities and members of the public to fulfil the core objective of tracking changing levels of trust and confidence across the charity sector. We gathered the views of nearly 2,500 charity representatives across Scotland with the sampling frame drawn from the Charity Register (in proportions representative of the full Register according to income and region). In addition to the survey, fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted over the telephone or via video conference. The supporting Scottish Public Survey involved a representative sample of 1,500 members of the Scottish public via an online panel survey, supplemented by a series of four online qualitative focus groups. 

To find out more about our public sector expertise and discuss how we can provide the actionable insight you need to meet your business objectives, contact our team today.