A qualitative study of public attitudes towards the governance of biomedical research
Summary
This research addresses the question of how members of the public engage in a process of dialogue around issues of biomedical research governance. What are people’s pre-existing ideas about governance issues and how do they formulate opinions on this topic? The project has a three phase research design which will investigate these questions in depth. First is the secondary analysis of qualitative data concerning both public and expert understandings of governance.
These data will give us a unique opportunity to look at the anchoring of existing public understandings and to juxtapose these with the ways in which experts conceptualise public understandings of regulation. Second, we will develop, in collaboration with members of the public, an information film about governance. This film will be used as a tool to facilitate public dialogue on these issues in the third phase of research using reconvened focus groups to explore public attitudes.
Publications
Armstrong, V., Barnett, J., Cooper, H., Monkman, M., Moran-Ellis, J. & Shepherd, R. (2007). Public Attitudes to Governance: A qualitative study in a deliberative context. London: The Wellcome Trust.
Presentations
Shepherd, R., Armstrong, V., Barnett, J., Cooper, H., Monkman, M., & Moran-Ellis, J. (2007). A qualitative study of public attitudes towards the governance of biomedical research. Invited presentation at 'Research governance and personal health information: public perspectives', London, 26 June 2007.
Shepherd, R. (2008). Public perspectives on research governance. Invited paper at the Social Research Association meeting 'Consent and Confidentiality in Social Research', London, 29 January 2008.
Published Report (pdf) 2.8mb (wellcomereportpublishedversion.pdf)
Researchers
- Prof Richard Shepherd
- Dr Helen Cooper
- Dr Julie Barnett
- Jo Moran-Ellis
- Michelle Monkman