§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure has been incurred by his(a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if he will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. [27941]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office has conducted little opinion polling and market research in the United Kingdom. No focus groups were used. In the last four years total expenditure was:
£ 1998–99 0 1999–2000 0 2000–01 15,550 2001–02 39,913 The figures cover market research for the "Know Before You Go" consular awareness campaign, and an opinion poll of public knowledge and understanding of the European Union. The results of the latter polling were laid in the Libraries of the House of Commons on 5 December 2001.
Overseas, various embassies have commissioned surveys about attitudes towards the United Kingdom to underpin strategies aimed at increasing positive foreign perceptions of Britain.
The FCO's non-departmental public body, the British Council also undertook an overseas research project to explore how well-informed young professionals perceive the United Kingdom. The survey was entitled "Through Other Eyes". Countries were researched in 1999 and 2000.
In the United Kingdom, the British Council has made use of focus groups and market research: (i) to assist in the understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of UK education compared to that in the United States and Australia, (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to increase the number of international students studying in the UK, and (iii) to assess perceptions of the British Council in Scotland post-devolution.
The cost of this research and activity was:
237W
£ 1998–99 0 1999–2000 136,000 2000–01 15,275 2001–02 2,878 1 Estimate