Social scientists of the James Hutton Institute and Scotland's Rural College are seeking people’s views about wellbeing, local issues and quality of life in Scottish communities, in a drive to improve currently-available data and inform policy development and implementation.
Jonathan Hopkins, a researcher of the Institute's Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group in Aberdeen, said: "The size of the ‘evidence base’ required for place-based policy in Scotland could be very large, as a wide range of issues affect people and society.
"Researchers need to consult practitioners, policymakers, community groups and other stakeholders to identify the most important issues which affect Scotland’s rural areas and small towns"
To that end, a survey [1] has been launched covering the following topics:
The survey is available at http://surveys.hutton.ac.uk/index.php/433557?lang=en [1].
The wider research project on place-based policy and rural Scotland aims to improve current understanding of (i) the main reasons for differences in economic performance and social outcomes across rural areas and small towns of Scotland, and (ii) how policies can help to deliver positive outcomes and address these disparities.
The work is funded by the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government, within the RESAS Strategic Research Programme 2016-2021.
Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo [2], Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395089 [3] (direct line), +44 (0)344 928 5428 [4] (switchboard) or +44 (0)7791 193918 [5] (mobile).
Links:
[1] http://surveys.hutton.ac.uk/index.php/433557?lang=en
[2] mailto:bernardo.rodriguez-salcedo@hutton.ac.uk?subject=Query%20from%20Hutton%20website
[3] tel:+441224395089
[4] tel:+44344928 5428
[5] tel:+447791193918