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STAGE SIX – ANALYSING THE RESULTS

WCC Consultation Strategy - Good Practice Principle Six

Results Should Be Acknowledged And Fully Considered

The full range of views expressed during consultation will be acknowledged and attention drawn to areas of agreement and disagreement. The results of public consultation will be weighed carefully together with other evidence and considerations before decisions are made.

Adapted from Bristol City Council Consultation Strategy

STAGE SIX – THE SUMMARY

This box gives you a brief summary of the main points in this stage. Click on the links below to find out more information on each point.

Allow sufficient time to analyse your results

Follow Guidance 6.1 Analysing quantitative data – pitfalls and tips and Guidance 6.2 Data Input and Analysis

For qualitative methods follow Guidance 6.3 – Analysing Qualitative Results to help you identify themes and variations in perspective

Ensure that you comply with the Data Protection Act and respect confidentiality where this has been requested

Identify your key messages – and areas where views diverge. You must give a balanced account of the responses you have received. Checklist 6.A Identifying Key Messages will help

Use Checklist 6.B - Identifying Priorities and Actions From Your Response to help you decide what action can follow from your results

It is important to consider how you will balance conflicting results – identifying which stakeholders' views will be given priority will help with this

Include findings that you cannot act upon in the short term – provide clear feedback about these areas

Now you have analysed your findings complete Part Two of your Project Plan to ensure that your manager / consultation commissioner is able to help you decide on next steps

Don’t forget to log your results onto the Ask Me! Consultation Planner and Finder

Go to Stage Seven – Providing Feedback

6.1 ANALYSING YOUR RESULTS
6.2 ANALYSING QUANTITATIVE DATA
6.3 ANALYSING QUALITATIVE DATA
6.4 IDENTIFYING THE KEY MESSAGES FROM YOUR CONSULTATION
6.5 ANONYMISING RESULTS
6.6 IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES AND ACTIONS FROM YOUR RESULTS
6.7 BALANCING CONFLICTING RESULTS
6.8 COMPLETE PART TWO OF YOUR PROJECT PLAN
6.9 LOG YOUR RESULTS ONTO ASK ME!
6.10 REMEMBER - KEY POINTS FROM STAGE 6

6.1 ANALYSING YOUR RESULTS

Don’t underestimate the amount of time and effort required to process data or write reports. Even if you get an agency to do your data input and processing, you may still have a lot of work to do.

The precise method of analysis will vary depending on the consultation method(s) used.

6.2 ANALYSING QUANTITATIVE DATA

For a definition of quantitative and qualitative data click here. To see which consultation methods are quantitative and qualitative click here.

For quantitative surveys you should have built in analysis time before you started your consultation. The Research and Intelligence Unit (Tel 01905 766715) can advise you on the analysis of this kind of data – and can advise on external companies who can help.

Click here to find out more about data input and analysis.

Click here for guidance on analysing quantitatative data - pitfalls and tips.

6.3 ANALYSING QUALITATIVE DATA

You must ensure that accurate and complete records are kept of all responses, whether received through a formal written consultation or more interactive methods.

Where your consultation has been very wide ranging and involved different groups of stakeholders try to sort out the responses into particular types, for example business groups, employees, community/voluntary organisations, individual views. You may want to use other criteria such as young people, older people, urban dwellers, rural respondents etc. This will help you identify variations in perspectives on particular issues.

Develop a 'framework grid' for analysis by identifying the key proposals/issues/themes that you were consulting about, and then summarise the primary viewpoints from your key stakeholders on each aspect. Click here for further information on analysing qualitative data.

6.4 IDENTIFYING THE KEY MESSAGES FROM YOUR CONSULTATION

Responses should be analysed with an open mind. This will allow evaluation of the responses before coming to a final decision. If responses are considered with an insufficiently open mind, and the consultation merely an exercise to validate a previously held view, the process will be open to legal challenge.

It is important that key messages from your exercise are clearly identified and reported. You should also identify areas where views diverge and opinion is divided.

Use Checklist 6.A - Identifying Key Messages to help you work out what the results mean and to identify your key messages.

6.5 ANONYMISING RESULTS

When providing feedback ensure that for quantitative methods data is anonymised in line with the Data Protection Act.

For qualitative methods ensure that you respect any stated requests for confidentiality. When giving examples of the types of responses you have received it is acceptable to change names or use titles such as "male, 23yrs " or "girl, 10yrs". If you are tape recording a focus group, be sure to seek permission from participants in advance.

6.6 IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES AND ACTIONS FROM YOUR RESULTS

In analysing the results you will need to identify priorities and highlight these in your feedback and communications. Work through Checklist 6.B Identifying Priorities and Actions From Your Results to help you do this.

6.7 BALANCING CONFLICTING RESULTS

Local communities are not homogenous, so consultees will frequently express a range of views. On a controversial issue views may be strongly polarised. This may happen, for example, if a facility is deemed to be a 'good thing' by the population as a whole but no-one wants it in their own back yard.

In resolving these conflicts take the nature of the different types of consultation into account. If, for example, the subject was complicated, or needed background information to understand it fully the views of a small well informed sample (e.g. a citizens jury) may be more relevant than a large uninformed sample.

During your planning you should identify your key stakeholders and whose views will be given most weight. Resolving these conflicts will always be a matter of judgement. There are no fixed rules over which type of consultation takes precedence over another. Ultimately, this is part of the decision-making role of authority members.

When consultees’ views diverge it is particularly important to provide clear feedback. We make this commitment in the consultation strategy. Consultees who do not feel that their point of view has been fairly represented may have recourse to the Council's representations procedure. Balanced feedback can assist individuals who do not like the decision that has been reached to feel that the process has given them a fair hearing.

6.8 COMPLETE PART TWO OF YOUR PROJECT PLAN

Complete Part Two of your Project Plan. This will enable you to share your findings with your manager / consultation commissioner, so that they can help you to decide on how to take forward the next steps.

Part Two of the Project Plan will also help you to identify who else needs to know your results, and how you will provide feedback to your consultees.

6.9 LOG YOUR RESULTS ONTO ASK ME!

Don’t forget to log your results onto the Ask Me! Consultation Planner and Finder. You will need to identify your top three results - but remember you can also upload your full findings or direct people to a website for further information.

6.10 Remember – Key Points from Stage 6