Paving the Way to Inclusivity

We’re excited to launch our new research by Magenta – commissioned in collaboration with Ofcom - which invites more inclusivity in the way market research is conducted.

The Communications Consumer Panel exists to provide a voice for consumers, citizens and micro-businesses in the communications sector. We use robust evidence, in-depth insights and informed recommendations, to raise awareness of the experiences and needs of consumers, including people who may be more susceptible to harm in this sector. People who identify as disabled and people with long term health conditions may be more susceptible to harm when providers and policymakers don’t understand what their access requirements are – as may people who do not identify as disabled or having a health condition, but who have access requirements (for example, people who identify as neurodivergent). 
  
This research - published jointly by Ofcom and the CCP - acts as a think-piece: researchers gained an understanding of the methodology and reporting methods of published research designed to include disabled people, through a literature review; undertook analysis of language used across sectors to describe disability, through discourse analysis; and listened to academia, the charity sector and the market research industry, through expert interviews and a one-day hybrid workshop.

What did we find?

While the research drew out differences of opinion in terms of language, sampling and methodology, a set of key themes emerged and some of these were:

• Positive intent: How are you thinking about the research and the participants? What are your intentions behind the research? Have these been communicated clearly to everyone involved in the research (researchers and participants)?
• Rationale: Have you considered and provided a reason for the choices you have made?
• Transparency: Have you been open and honest in your reporting about the decisions you have made and any limitations?

The full report including all of the recommendations and insight from the project is published on Ofcom’s website here. There are also shorter versions of the report to make the findings easier to share as well as a British Sign Language (BSL) video summarising the findings. In addition, Ofcom’s market research team have published a cover paper which includes Ofcom’s next steps and plans.

Next steps for the Communications Consumer Panel in paving the way to inclusivity

We can only provide a voice for consumers through research and regular, valued input from our stakeholders. We would like to thank those of you who have already helped us by participating in this project.

We will be sharing the findings of this research at meetings with a wide range of our stakeholders – particularly those with a stake in improving inclusivity for disabled consumers, citizens and micro-business owners.

We invite further input from our stakeholders

We welcome your thoughts on the findings of this research and will produce a summary report which we will share with Ofcom and others.

We also hope that the findings and recommendations from this research will directly inform the design of our next round of consumer research, and future work we engage in.