Armed Forces Community Market Research

Armed Forces Community Market Research

At M·E·L Research, we deliver specialist Armed Forces community market research, social research, evaluation and learning partnerships that helps charities, government bodies, funders and system partners understand what works, for whom, and in what contexts.

Evaluation and learning that improves outcomes across the Armed Forces community

We work across the full Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans, reservists and military families. Our research supports better decision making in areas such as recovery, health and wellbeing, community development, family support, transition and employment. 

Our approach combines methodological rigour with deep respect for lived experience, ensuring insights are credible, ethical and genuinely useful. 

Trusted experts within the Armed Forces community

Research with the Armed Forces community requires more than technical expertise. It requires trust, sensitivity and an understanding of military culture. 

Our work is grounded in:

Trauma informed and inclusive research practice

Safeguarding by design at every stage of delivery

Participatory methods that centre lived experience

Clear, practical learning that can be acted on

Partnering with organisations that want robust evidence without compromising dignity, safety or respect.

Our Armed Forces community market research, evaluation and learning partnerships

Programme theory and learning design:

We co-design programme Theories of Change with delivery teams, funders and people with lived experience. This helps clarify intended outcomes, test assumptions and identify the mechanisms that drive change.

Mixed methods and realist evaluation:

We deliver mixed methods evaluations underpinned by Realist Evaluation, allowing us to answer not just whether an intervention works, but how, why and in which contexts. This is particularly effective for complex Armed Forces community services.

Trauma informed research practice:

All of our Armed Forces community market research and evaluations are designed to be inclusive, ethical and trauma aware. We embed safeguarding, accessibility and participant wellbeing into research design, fieldwork and analysis.

Contribution analysis and impact evidence:

We support contribution analysis that helps organisations demonstrate impact within complex systems, particularly where attribution is not straightforward.

Value for money and funding accountability:

Where required, we develop SROI and Value for Money frameworks and judgement matrices that meet funder and government requirements.

Our Armed Forces community market research experience

We have extensive experience delivering evaluation and learning across the Armed Forces community landscape, including:

Help for Heroes: Supporter Segmentation

Help for Heroes commissioned M.E.L Research to develop a detailed segmentation of the UK charity-giving public, focusing specifically on individuals who support – or could be encouraged to support – military and veterans’ charities. Help for Heroes sought an evidence-based understanding of the motivations, behaviours and communication preferences of potential supporters, with a view to strengthening engagement, improving message resonance, and ensuring its offer aligns with what matters most to supporters and prospective supporters. Read more about the project here

Royal British Legion: Team UK Invictus Games

Our evaluation team was commissioned to explore the experiences, and evaluate the impact, of the Royal British Legion Invictus Games Programme on Team UK competitors, as well as on those close to them, including family members and friends. Alongside more traditional methods such as feedback surveys and in-depth interviews, we have used participatory and creative approaches including Research Bingo, peer to peer research, graffiti walls, walk and talks, picture storytelling and conversation trees to ensure learning is inclusive, engaging and grounded in lived experience. Read more about the project here.

Royal British Legion: Battle Back Centre Recovery Services

Research supporting learning and service development within the specialist recovery provision of Royal British Legion.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Supporting Partners Programme

A two-year evaluation for the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust integrating realist and empowerment evaluation principles with trauma informed practice to support learning at programme and system level.

Why Armed Forces community organisations choose us

• Proven expertise in Armed Forces community market research, evaluation and learning partnerships
• Strong relationships across charities, government and funders
• Methodological depth combined with practical learning
• Ethical, trauma informed and inclusive delivery
• Clear reporting that supports decision making, funding and improvement
• We act as a learning partner, not just an evaluator.

Talk to us about Armed Forces community market research

If you are designing, funding or delivering support for the Armed Forces community and want research that combines rigour with empathy, we would love to work with you.

Get in touch to discuss how M·E·L Research can support your next phase of evaluation, learning or Armed Forces community market research.