Exploring barriers to public engagement by UK researchers: research results
A national survey in 2015 into the factors that affect public engagement by researchers across the UK shows there has been a positive shift in researchers’ understanding and attitudes to public engagement over the past ten years.
This shift represents an important milestone on a longer journey of culture change for the research and higher education sectors, which remains a ‘work in progress’.
The survey finds that researchers are now considerably more personally motivated in this area, yet challenges remain. The findings also suggest that more needs to be done to support, reward and recognise researchers to embed public engagement as an integral part of a research career.
Background to survey
The top 15 funders of publicly funded research in the UK are working in a consortium to review the current state of the public engagement with research landscape within higher education, research institute or clinical settings across the UK.
The consortium commissioned TNS-BMRB, an independent social research organisation, to undertake the survey research in 2015
More information about the survey and to access the report, please see the Wellcome Trust website
