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CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS

METHODOLOGY

The project consisted of both qualitative and quantitative components. The initial depth interviews were used as a platform to inform the main quantitative telephone survey. The follow-up depth interviews were then used to explore the findings from the telephone survey in more detail. This chapter details the research methodology used, considerations for questionnaire and topic guide development and the analysis employed in this report.

Initial Depth Interviews

Six face-to-face depth interviews were conducted with senior representatives of the building and design professions throughout October 2004. The representatives' details were provided by the Scottish Executive, Architectural Policy Unit. To identify the key issues for consideration in the main quantitative survey, it was agreed that preliminary interviews should be conducted with key contacts in the building design professions, in order to investigate the main issues related to the policy on architecture. When used properly qualitative research can provide a useful insight into a particular research problem, providing invaluable information on which to base future research.

Telephone survey

A telephone survey was conducted among 500 building design professionals from 3-24 November 2004 using samples provided by Yell and Dun & Bradstreet.

Both of these database suppliers were contacted and asked to provide the number of practices in Scotland for each of the professions listed in table 2.1. In addition they were asked to provide named contacts at the most senior executive level available. It was felt that Dun & Bradstreet had better coverage of Architects and Property Developers so Dun & Bradstreet provided this sample and Yell provided the sample for the other professions. Neither company could provide a sample for the Planning profession. Initial attempts to obtain contact details of members of the Royal Town Planning Institute in Scotland were also unsuccessful. Some details of specialist planning consultancies were obtained and this was augmented by contacting local authority planning departments. Within each local authority where an interview was achieved, this person was asked to provide contact details of another senior planner in their organisation. This resulted in the survey achieving 82 interviews with Planners across Scotland.

The target number of interviews for the survey was 500 and the total number of contacts available was 1,966 as table 2.1 illustrates. Quotas were set to ensure that a cross section of building and design professionals' attitudes were measured in the survey. The quotas were reviewed throughout fieldwork and amended to reflect the conversion rate from sample to successful interview.

A number of issues arose in the course of fieldwork that caused the quotas to be revised. Civil Engineers were originally included in the sample but after the first week of fieldwork no interviews were achieved with Civil Engineers because they screened themselves out of the survey as having no influence in the design of buildings or public spaces (question 2). In cases such as this, it is normal practice to suspend part of the sample, so that the time allocated to the project can be more effectively spent achieving interviews with more fruitful parts of the sample.

A similar situation arose with the Structural Engineers. In the first week, only a few interviews were achieved with this profession. This part of the sample was also suspended for the majority of fieldwork, but a decision to release it was made in the last week. Ten interviews were achieved with Structural Engineers in total. Interestingly, when asked which professions had the greatest involvement and influence over the design process, many of the interviewees in the follow-up qualitative interviews commented upon the lack of involvement Civil and Structural Engineers had in the design process. This will be examined in more depth later in the report.

The telephone survey was conducted by MORI Telephone Surveys ( MTS), based in Leith in Edinburgh, using computer-assisted telephone interviewing ( CATI). The main strength of this is that interviewers do not need to check questionnaire routing, improving data quality and avoiding a separate data entry process, which in turn allows data to be delivered sooner.

Sample profile - telephone survey

Follow-up depth interviews

Follow-up depth interviews were conducted with 16 representatives of the building design professions in February 2005. These interviews were used to explore some of the findings from the quantitative survey in more depth with a cross section of the building design professions. As well as being used at the exploratory stages of a project, qualitative research can further explain and develop upon quantitative findings.

Eleven interviews were conducted face-to-face with professionals who were located in the Central Belt (one of which was conducted with two interviewees). The remaining five interviewees were located in more remote locations and were therefore conducted over the telephone.

Ninety-six percent of those interviewed in the telephone survey gave permission for MORI Scotland to re-contact them regarding follow-up research. This file was used as the basis for selection for the follow-up interviews. The profile for the follow-up depth interviews is as follows:

• 9 Architects
• 3 Planners
• 3 Landscape Architects
• 1 Urban Designer

The interviews were between 15 and 60 minutes in length. As expected, the telephone interviews tended to be shorter than the face-to-face interviews. Interviewees were asked permission to record the interview to facilitate the reporting process. Verbatim comments are included in the main body of the report by profession; however to protect the anonymity of the interviewees no comments are attributed to any one individual.

QUESTIONNAIRE & TOPIC GUIDE DESIGN

The survey was designed to collect data to explore attitudes of the building design professions' to the Policy on Architecture. It was developed by MORI Scotland and the Scottish Executive, Architectural Policy Unit, with the initial in-depth interviews providing the project team with the key themes and issues that were most pertinent to the professionals. The main topics covered in the questionnaire were:

• perceptions of the current standards of design in Scotland by development type
• awareness and impact of the policy and other profession specific publications
• importance of individual policy objectives
• awareness of Architectural bodies/sources of information
• suggestions for improving the quality of design in Scotland
• influencing factors in the quality of design and
• demographic information (gender, profession, job title, organisation type, size of organisation and the type of work the organisation is involved with)

The follow-up in-depth interviews were an extension of the main themes explored in the telephone survey and covered the following topics:

• a more in-depth exploration of the standards of design in Scotland today
• comparison with other places in the UK and across Europe
• professions' attitudes towards public awareness of architecture and design
• the role the planning system plays in the design process and what works and doesn't work so well
• who has the strongest influence over the future of design
• understanding and awareness of the Scottish Executive's Policy on Architecture
• awareness and understanding of the new architecture body: Architecture and Design Scotland and
• an exploration of the attitudes towards the future of the policy.

ANALYSIS

Computer tables of the telephone survey were prepared in agreement with the Scottish Executive. In the tables, responses to each question were analysed against a number of key variables. These are as follows:

• Profession (Architects, Surveyors, Planners, Landscape Architects, Structural Engineers and Developers)
• Size of Office/Department (Single individual, 2-10 employees and 10+)
• Organisation Type (Public or Private sector)
• Type of Work (7 most popular categories, namely: residential development, residential alterations/extensions, master planning, office or retail development, commercial or industrial development, developing/designing public spaces and public buildings ( i.e. schools or hospitals))
• Awareness of Publications (A Policy on Architecture for Scotland: Scottish Executive, Designing Places: A Policy Statement for Scotland: Scottish Executive, Scottish Planning Policy ( SPP1): The Planning System, PAN 67 Housing Quality and PAN 68 Design Statements

The majority of analysis included in this report uses the standard cross-breaks above. However, where necessary some of the findings warranted additional analysis. This was achieved using the raw data. Findings from the pre and post qualitative research are also included in this report and are used to corroborate or challenge the key themes arising from the telephone survey.

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