Sectors
Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
M·E·L Research is a specialist market, social and behavioural research and insights consultancy. But M·E·L Research isn’t a standard agency. Our vision is to make a positive difference to organisations, employees, customers and wider society. We push for social value – in why we work, how we work and who we work with.
We provide insight that enables public sector bodies and charities to improve their service delivery. We also explore attitudes and behaviours and evaluate interventions on key societal issues including poverty, mental and physical health and wellbeing, mobility, infrastructure and the climate and environment with residents, customers, employees, stakeholders and businesses.
We deliver social and market research services across various sectors, including housing, health and wellbeing, transport, culture and heritage, sport and activity and the environment.
To ensure we deliver excellent research with a purpose, we work with a clear set of values and quality standards.
More detail on our unique approach to delivering social value for communities, partners and the wider population can be found here.
What sector or service are you looking for?
Our team work in a diverse range of sectors, conducting research into wide ranging issues from local government to environmental impact studies.
Our highly skilled team are able to conduct many forms of research. Depending on the depth and scope of research required our team will recommend the most appropriate method of research.
It can be hard to know which market research consultant to choose when you’re looking for commission research. At M·E·L Research, we believe in transparency and are proud to share insights into the processes and outcomes of the research we’ve conducted for organisations in the past.
Case Studies
The North East Combined Authority (NECA) commissioned M·E·L Research to evaluate its Early Events Programme, a major programme of investment in cultural and community events across the North East. The programme formed part of NECA’s wider ambitions around inclusive economic growth, strong communities, cultural development and environmental sustainability, and was intended to provide an evidence base to inform the…
Case Studies
WRAP Cymru commissioned M·E·L Research to deliver and evaluate a targeted doorstep engagement campaign as part of the wider Recycle for Wales behaviour change programme. The campaign formed part of the Welsh Government’s ambition to increase recycling rates and reduce waste by encouraging greater participation in food waste recycling services across Wales. Working alongside Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, the campaign focused on increasing participation in kerbside food…
Case Studies
Help for Heroes commissioned M·E·L Research as a learning partner to support the development of a practical learning and evaluation framework for its Community Development approach. This was not a traditional evaluation focused primarily on assessing programme performance or impact. Instead, the central purpose was to work collaboratively with Help for Heroes to understand what meaningful change looked like within communities, how that…
Case Studies
M·E·L Research was commissioned by the re3 Partnership to undertake user satisfaction research across its Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Reading and Bracknell. The study formed part of an ongoing programme of customer satisfaction measurement, enabling the partnership to compare performance with previous survey waves and monitor changes in user behaviour, service satisfaction and awareness over time. The research sought to…
Case Studies
Shelter commissioned M·E·L Research for a second year to deliver its established Outcomes Survey research programme, providing robust and consistent evidence of the impact of its services on the people it supported. The research engaged individuals who had contacted Shelter for support, following up with them at least three months after their case had closed in 2025. This allowed the research to explore outcomes after service users had had time to act on, or experience the effects of…
Case Studies
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake a comprehensive user survey across its network of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) as part of a wider waste composition analysis programme. GMCA had set an ambition to increase household recycling rates and reduce residual household waste, requiring a stronger understanding of how residents…
Case Studies
Hightown Housing Association commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake an independent programme of customer research to inform the development of its emerging corporate and customer strategies. The organisation wanted a robust evidence base showing whether its proposed strategic direction reflected the priorities and expectations of its customers. The research explored what customers…
Case Studies
The client was Dataglow who are proposing a village heat network in Melbourn. The scheme aimed to provide low-carbon heating by using pipes under the streets to carry water warmed by waste heat from a small data centre. This warmed water would then be looped through residents’ new Ground Source Heat Pumps, improving efficiency and helping to reduce bills. By installing Ground Source Heat Pumps at scale, the project also sought to reduce…
Case Studies
M·E·L Research was commissioned by Erewash Borough Council, with funding from both Erewash Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, to deliver and evaluate a targeted waste and recycling education campaign. The project formed part of a wider programme designed to increase both the quantity and quality of recyclable materials collected through the borough’s kerbside recycling services…
Case Studies
The Law Society commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake research into public attitudes towards the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The aim was to provide robust, nationally representative evidence about how the public viewed the criminal justice system and a range of issues relating to its operation, funding and potential reform. The research covered several important and potentially sensitive…
Case Studies
Amey operated the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across Central Bedfordshire and commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake an independent user satisfaction survey across all four HWRC sites. The purpose of the research was to understand how residents used the sites, assess satisfaction with different aspects of the customer experience, explore awareness of changes to accepted recycling materials…
Case Studies
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) commissioned M·E·L Research to evaluate its Brick Explorers wildlife trails. The initiative saw five RHS Gardens host trails featuring ten brick-built sculptures depicting plants, insects, fungi and other wildlife. The trails combined the sculptures with interpretation about wildlife and nature, information about how the models had been constructed, activity booklets and Brick Builders…
Case Studies
Braintree District Council commissioned M·E·L Research to deliver a targeted doorstep engagement campaign as part of a wider Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) funded Recycling Rewards Scheme. The wider programme aimed to increase recycling participation amongst residents living in flats and multi-occupancy dwellings, where…
Case Studies
WSL Football commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake a mixed-method evaluation of the Fan Choice Pilot across the top two tiers of women’s professional football in England. The pilot explored whether clubs should be able to give supporters the choice to consume alcohol in view of the pitch. This represented a significant potential change to existing competition rules, with potential benefits for matchday experiences and…
Case Studies
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) commissioned M·E·L Research to explore the lived experiences of dyslexic young people aged 18–24 who were not in employment, education or training (NEET). The research was undertaken in the context of increasing national concern about the rising number of young people who are NEET and growing policy interest in understanding the multiple factors contributing to this issue…
Case Studies
Dover District Council commissioned M·E·L Research to deliver a promotional doorstep engagement campaign in selected parts of the district. The campaign focused on improving residents’ use of the council’s kerbside recycling services and reducing contamination in the commingled recycling container. The council had identified several materials that were regularly being placed in the wrong container, including larger…
Case Studies
WRAP Cymru commissioned M·E·L Research to deliver a targeted doorstep engagement campaign in Rhondda Cynon Taf as part of the Recycle for Wales programme. The programme aimed to encourage people across Wales to recycle more materials, more often, supporting wider ambitions to reduce waste, use resources efficiently and increase participation in kerbside food waste recycling.
Case Studies
Westmorland and Furness Council Housing Service commissioned M·E·L Research to support its annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures work. The wider context was the Regulator of Social Housing’s requirement for social housing providers with 1,000 or more homes to report against a standard set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures. These measures were designed to show how landlords were performing in key areas such as repairs, complaints, treating tenants with respect, maintaining homes, keeping tenants safe and giving tenants opportunities to have their say.
Case Studies
The University of Northumbria commissioned M·E·L Research to explore public attitudes towards climate change, renewable energy and emerging solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. While traditional solar panels are widely recognised, advances in photovoltaic technology are creating opportunities to integrate energy generation into buildings and public infrastructure in new and visually appealing ways. The University wanted to understand how these innovations would be perceived by the public and identify the factors most likely to influence future…
Case Studies
M·E·L Research partnered with Mazars LLP to deliver a large-scale business research programme on behalf of the Leeds City Region Revolving Investment Fund. The study was commissioned to provide robust evidence on business growth, innovation activity and access to finance across one of the UK’s most diverse regional economies. The client required a detailed understanding of the opportunities, challenges and investment needs facing businesses across key growth sectors, while also capturing perspectives from the wider business community. The findings would inform…
Case Studies
The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme is one of the UK’s largest investments in aerospace innovation, supporting the development of next-generation technologies that will help maintain the UK’s global competitiveness and support the transition to Net Zero aviation. With £1.9 billion of government funding invested alongside significant industry contributions, the programme has supported hundreds of collaborative R&D projects involving aerospace manufacturers, SMEs, universities…
Case Studies
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CW&C) commissioned M·E·L Research to deliver a borough-wide behavioural change and recycling engagement programme designed to improve recycling participation, increase food waste recycling, reduce contamination and encourage residents to make better use of the Council’s waste and recycling services. The programme was delivered in partnership with Cheshire West Recycling (CWR) and focused on engaging residents directly at their homes to understand barriers to participation and support behaviour change.
Case Studies
M·E·L Research was commissioned by the University of Cambridge to support a study exploring emotionally based school non-attendance among secondary and sixth form pupils across the UK. The research focused on young people experiencing anxiety-related barriers to attending school, including school refusal, school phobia, and partial attendance behaviours such as avoiding specific lessons or leaving school early due to distress. This is a complex and sensitive research area, involving young people aged 11–18 who may be experiencing mental health challenges…
Case Studies
Innovate UK Business Connect (IUKBC) exists to accelerate UK innovation by connecting businesses, innovators, researchers and opportunities across the innovation ecosystem. As part of its strategic direction, IUKBC was seeking to move beyond measuring activity levels and instead demonstrate the value and impact its support generates for businesses and the wider innovation system. M·E·L Research was commissioned to provide robust evidence on the outcomes and impact of engagement with IUKBC. The study was designed to understand the extent to…
Case Studies
North Northamptonshire Council commissioned M·E·L Research to conduct a Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey among its council housing tenants. The work was undertaken to provide the Council with robust, representative evidence on tenants’ views of its housing service, in line with the requirements of the Regulator of Social Housing. The research needed to measure performance across the 12 Tenant Satisfaction Measures, covering overall satisfaction, repairs, home maintenance, safety, engagement, complaints, communal areas, neighbourhood contribution…
Case Studies
The Legal Services Board commissioned M·E·L Research to explore how consumers might respond to future developments in artificial intelligence within legal services. The research was designed to support the Legal Services Board’s wider strategic focus on encouraging innovation in legal services while ensuring that consumers remained protected from potential harm. The wider context was a legal services market in which AI-enabled tools were becoming increasingly visible to consumers. General-purpose AI assistants, such as chatbot-style tools, were already being used by some people as an initial source of…
Case Studies
M·E·L Research was commissioned to undertake a survey of residents living within a tightly defined geographic area surrounding Denham’s Corner. The research was commissioned to inform decision-making around proposed local infrastructure changes that had the potential to affect residents’ access to and use of the surrounding environment. Given the small size of the affected community, it was essential that the research captured the views and behaviours of local residents who would be directly impacted by any future changes. The client required robust…
Case Studies
Stockport Council wanted to understand employees’ experiences of working within the organisation and to assess progress against key organisational priorities, including leadership, communication, wellbeing, organisational culture, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and employee engagement. The study sought to identify strengths and areas for improvement across different directorates and employee groups, while also tracking changes over time against previous staff surveys. Particular areas of interest included perceptions of senior leadership, workplace wellbeing, communication, learning and…
Case Studies
Sandwell Council commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake a large-scale consultation with residents to inform the Council’s budget-setting process for 2026/27. The research was designed to provide robust evidence on residents’ priorities, views on local services, and attitudes towards potential approaches for balancing the Council’s budget in a challenging financial climate. The wider context for the work was significant financial pressure facing local government, alongside increasing demand for services linked to the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and rising…
Case Studies
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) commissioned M·E·L Research to support the development of an organisation-wide outcomes framework that could provide a consistent and shared understanding of the impact of RHS activities across the organisation. The framework was intended to create a common language for discussing outcomes, support future evaluation activity, and help align teams around shared objectives and priorities. The project was designed to bring together perspectives from across the organisation to identify, refine and structure the outcomes that RHS activities sought to achieve for…
Market research can be fraught with issues surrounding transparency, data security and the quality of analysis applied to research. That’s why we’re fully accredited to ISO 9001, 20252 and 27001 as well as cyber essentials plus certified.
Stay up to date with the latest news from MEL Research.
M·E·L News
October 2026
M·E·L Research is pleased to welcome four new colleagues to our growing team, strengthening our research and evaluation expertise as we continue to expand our services and support clients. The appointments of Laura Karban, Associate Director; Bethan Jewsbury, Senior Evaluation Managers; and Chloe Parker, Research Manager, alongside Rhoslyn Davies, who joins us on a short-term basis to provide additional senior evaluation support, bring a wealth of experience across social research, evaluation, public policy…
Industry Insights
October 2026
It was an absolute honour to attend the Women’s Health Conference in London this week, bringing together clinicians, policymakers, campaigners and others passionate about improving women’s health. As a researcher specialising in women’s health social research, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn, be challenged and exchange ideas with people who share that passion. And I wasn’t disappointed. There has (quite rightly) been a lot of discussion recently about the gender health gap. But some of the evidence shared…
M·E·L News
October 2026
We are pleased to be working with the MS Society on new health and care social research exploring how health and care services can better support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and help reduce avoidable hospital admissions. The health and care social research study will focus on opportunities for earlier intervention and more coordinated, preventative support, while recognising that hospital admission is sometimes clinically necessary. It will…
M·E·L News
September 2026
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at Collections Inside & Out, a symposium hosted at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden, bringing together people working across gardens, horticulture, heritage, collections and interpretation. I was, perhaps, a slight interloper among so many people with deep horticultural expertise but every presentation was incredibly interesting and I learned a lot – and broadly managed to follow the general flow of what was being said (still not 100% au fait with taxa…
M·E·L News
September 2026
We’re pleased to share that our Commercial Director, Elliot Simmonds, will be speaking at the Collections Inside & Out symposium at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden on 24 September 2026. Bringing together professionals working across heritage collections, gardens and landscapes, the symposium will explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor heritage and the opportunities created by thinking about them as part of a connected visitor experience. Elliot’s session, “Integrating Indoor…
Industry Insights
September 2026
Across Europe, we have seen devastating wildfires destroy homes, habitats and communities. They offer us a powerful analogy for how we think about suicide prevention. When a fire is raging, everything must be done to put it out. Firefighters, emergency services and communities mobilise to save lives. But even when the fire is eventually extinguished, enormous damage may already have been done, and recovery can take years. That is why fire services don’t only fight fires. They also invest in prevention: identifying risks, educating people, installing smoke alarms, creating fire breaks and trying to stop…
M·E·L News
September 2026
M·E·L Research joined the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) at the House of Lords this week for the launch of a new report exploring the experiences of dyslexic young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). Tamsin Maries, Senior Research Manager, and Elliot Simmonds, Commercial Manager, represented M·E·L Research at the event…
Industry Insights
September 2026
My son Jools was 14 years old when he died suddenly in April 2022. There was no note. There was no offline evidence that explained why he died. No one had seen or been aware of any adverse mental health issues, and at his original inquest the coroner could not be sure that Jools was in a suicidal mood. More than four years later, I am still trying to understand what happened to my son. Yet one enormous part of Jools’ life was not properly explored following his death: his digital world. Like almost every teenager, Jools had a life on his phone. Social…
M·E·L News
August 2026
M·E·L Research has been named the winner of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Value & Ethical Research 2026 at the UK Enterprise Awards. The award recognises the values that shape both the work we choose to undertake and the way we deliver it. From building trauma-informed practices into our research to improving inclusion and reinvesting in the communities around us, social responsibility is part of how we operate every day.
