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Industry Insights

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Skye Curtis: Learning From MethodsCon Futures 2024

September 2024

The question was, do we have the methods we need to understand this complex world? This kick started a general conversation around the array of dominant, but also newer methods, and thoughts on how and when they do and don’t work. While useful, what was most key for me was a reminder that actually defining methods should always be less important than defining the issue/defining the research question. The second question is then, who is best to decide what the question/ issue is and then what methods we should use?

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Industry Insights

Disabled athelete with prosthetics

Many disabled people want to be more active. How can we make that happen?

September 2024

Following the spectacle that was the Paris 2024 Olympics, and as we are glued to the Paralympics now, Ben Thatcher says more needs to be done to identify and remove the barriers to sports participation for disabled people. Fewer than half of disabled adults (or those with long-term health conditions) meet the government’s recommended guidelines for physical activity, meaning 52% of disabled adults in England are categorised as ‘inactive’, according to the latest research from Sport England.

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M·E·L News

Illustration showing an Asian man in a turban and a white female interacting across a desk in a modern office setting.

Trust in Legal Profession Generally High – Confidence in Firms’ Handling of Complaints Lacking

July 2024

This latest tracker survey, conducted for the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) for the third time by M·E·L Research, involved over 3,600 adults who had used legal services in the past two years. Notably, the percentage of consumers shopping around for a law firm has risen again following a decline last year. Additionally, satisfaction with legal services has reached a record high of 87%. However, only 51% of dissatisfied consumers knew how to lodge a complaint with their law firms, with 28% unsure and 21% unaware of the process.

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M·E·L News

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International Student Housing Survey 2023 – Key Findings

June 2024

The International Student Housing Survey conducted by M·E·L Research Ltd on behalf of Unipol in 2023, involving 3,698 international students and 30 UK universities, explored the significant challenges faced by these students in securing and living in accommodation. The study focused on undergraduates, postgraduates without dependents, and postgraduate research students (PGRs) with families. The results were analysed in detail in November 2023. However, following changes to postgraduate taught visa regulations for students with dependents in January 2024, the dataset was reinvestigated to consider implications for students not affected by the new rules.

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M·E·L News

MACH Technology Social Value The Public Sector

MACH Technology, Social Value & The Public Sector

March 2024

MACH technology, which stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless, has the potential to play - and in some cases is already playing - a pivotal role in shaping a more innovative, inclusive, and resilient society. Its principles foster a digital ecosystem that's flexible, scalable, and capable of addressing the complex challenges facing today's world. In layman's terms, it's an approach to designing, building, and testing agile digital systems where every digital component is pluggable, scalable, replaceable, and can be continuously improved.

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Industry Insights

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Partnership work with Melin Homes

January 2024

We’re delighted to announce the partnership with Melin Homes to conduct a comprehensive STAR survey. This collaboration supports M·E·L Research's commitment to delivering insights through a blend of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, providing a thorough understanding of tenants' satisfaction levels and the underlying factors influencing their scores.

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Industry Insights

Two Thirds Public Support Dog Licensing

Three Fifths of General Public Support Dog Licensing

January 2024

In 2023 several fatal dog attacks were reported across the UK with the American XL bully disproportionately involved in media coverage. This led the Prime Minister to announce a ban of the breed, which came in to force at the end of 2023. M·E·L Research, as part of our nationally representative Research with a Purpose omnibus (n=1500, 16+., UK-Nat Rep) looked to understand whether respondents think that the government should reinstate this or a similar law, what form this licence could take and how the general public, and dog owners, feel this may impact dog ownership in the UK.

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Industry Insights

A young adult man with brown hair is slumped on a laptop desk asleep

Younger People’s Career Experience Impacted by Multiple Cost of Living Pressures

December 2023

Katherine Atkinson discusses findings from some of our recent Research with a Purpose omnibus findings, focussing on the experience of younger people at work, their career aspirations, motivation and the pressures being created through the cost of living crisis.

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Industry Insights

Illustration of male student in bedroom holding a large bill

Student Housing Affordability Crisis: Key Findings from the Ten Cities Rent Survey

November 2023

In the wake of escalating student accommodation costs, we are pleased to support Unipol Student Housing and the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) in sharing the findings of the comprehensive Ten Cities Rent Survey, conducted recently by M·E·L Research.

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Industry Insights

Open

‘The Results Are In’: Unpacking the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest’s Impact on Liverpool

October 2023

The glitter has settled, the Turquoise Carpet has been rolled up, and I recently had the privilege (writes Elliot Simmonds) of attending 'The Results Are In'' a fascinating symposium dissecting some of the emerging data around the impact of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest held in Liverpool, on behalf of the Ukraine.

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M·E·L News

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World Suicide Prevention Day: Our Work with The Jordan Legacy

September 2023

Please note, this article contains discussion of suicide and statistics relating to suicide. As we approach the fourth wave of the The Jordan Legacy/M·E·L Research Survey, tracking the prevalance of exposure to suicide, suicidal thoughts and self-harming across a sample of n=1500 16+ year olds in the UK, it's difficult to reflect on the fact that a shocking 1 in 15 adults in the UK has attempted suicide, while 1 in 3 has known someone who died by suicide, and 1 in 8 has lost a close friend or family member to suicide.

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M·E·L News

30YearKickitOut

M·E·L Research Delivers 30 Year Impact Evaluation for Kick It Out

August 2023

We are thrilled to have worked in collaboration with Kick It Out, to shed light on the journey of inclusivity in football over the past three decades and the role Kick it Out as an organisation has played in that journey. This comprehensive evaluation, integrating quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and introducing an SROI model to one of Kick it Out’s headline programmes - Raise your Game - offers profound insights into the perceptions of football fans, the role of Kick It Out, and the efficacy of the work undertaken over the last three decades.

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Industry Insights

Pets Social Research

Pet ownership and the cost of living crisis

July 2023

The UK is a nation of pet-lovers as well as shopkeepers, with 48% of our omnibus survey respondents currently owning a pet, a further 7% having owned a pet in the past and considering another pet, and a further 31% saying they have previously had a pet, though they are not currently considering a new companion. Only 18% of individuals stated that they have not owned a pet, nor would they consider owning one. The Covid-19 pandemic saw rates of pet ownership increasing, with an estimated 3.2 million pets being bought during the pandemic.

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Industry Insights

housing post

Navigating the Storm: UK Housing Market Braces for High Interest Rates and Price Adjustment

July 2023

The impact on mortgage homeowners will be felt gradually due to the large number of people on fixed-rate mortgages. However, approximately 800,000 fixed-rate mortgages will end by the end of this year, with a further 1.6 million ending by December 2024. Those affected will face higher remortgage costs and potentially see their monthly payments double. Over 1.4 million people on tracker and variable rate deals will experience immediate payment increases. The average two-year fixed rate residential mortgage currently stands at 6.23%, and the five-year fixed rate is 5.82%.

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Industry Insights

climate blog post

Climate Change Impacts Decision-making: Affects Family Size, Career Choices, and Consumer Preferences

July 2023

In a recent survey conducted by global research firm Morning Consult on behalf of computer tech company HP, it was revealed that over half of parents, specifically 53%, consider climate change when making decisions about having more children. The study surveyed more than 5,000 adult parents from India, Mexico, Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom between May 18 and 26. Each country had approximately 1,000 parents participating in the survey.

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