Joint Winners for Qual Award

The UK's Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) has named Acacia Avenue and Opinion Leader Research as joint winners of its annual Prosper Riley-Smith Effectiveness Award.

The Award is in its fourth year and is named in memory of the former AQR Chairman. The panel said the winners were set apart by 'their clear demonstration of the business value their research had generated and their imaginative, problem-solving approaches'.

Opinion Leader's paper detailed the Department of Health's work aimed at getting patients, the public and members of staff contributing to NHS plans for family health and social care in the 21st century. Using a variety of research techniques ranging from questionnaires to resource packs, and with a focus on in-depth feedback from deliberative events, the research agency helped identify the public's priorities, which were then directly reflected in the Department's White Paper – examples are a greater focus on mental wellbeing and more help being needed for carers.

Acacia Avenue showcased a new research model which exposes the reasons for fundamental differences between people's attitudes and behaviours, and how these can be changed by adoption of a particular stance, vernacular or tone. The model is particularly useful when researching topics 'beset with lots of ideology but very little action' – for example the environment, pollution and recycling.

Judge and AQR Chairman Fiona Jack said the panel was particularly impressed by Acacia Avenue's use of qualitative thinking leading to actionable and measurable results, and by Opinion Leader's 'chutzpah' in tackling such a potentially daunting project, among other qualities.

Apart from Jack the judging panel comprised fellow AQR committee members Audrey Niven and Darren Hanley, plus Jane Walton, Consumer Insight Director at Scottish and Newcastle, Giles Lury, Director of The Value Engineers, and Dan O'Donoghue, Worldwide Planning Director at Publicis.

The AQR's site is at www.aqr.org.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

• Opinion Leader Research
• All news
• MrWeb info