Government Social Research
Ergon House
The overarching challenge for Defra is to enable everyone to live within our environmental means. This is most clearly exemplified by the need to:
Central to achieving these goals will be reducing the environmental impact of the lifestyles we lead, the products that the country’s economy produces and consumes, and the waste we produce. We also need to reduce the global impact of our food production and consumption, improving the contribution that a profitable and competitive farming industry in this country can make to our environment.
Despite the role of other specialists (such as economists, statisticians and natural scientists) being well established within Defra, social research is a relatively new venture. However, it is emerging as an increasingly important component of Defra’s policy-making process, as we seek to gain a better understanding of the human dimension of our priorities. There are five social researchers in the Department at present.
The precise role of social research is evolving, but it will complement and link with the other analysts. The key objectives for social research include:
There are also important roles to play in quality assuring the research currently being commissioned and managed by non-researchers, developing processes for identifying social research needs and ensuring that procurement and dissemination processes are appropriate.
Social research currently contributes to three key areas of Defra’s work, by: