Diverse voices, better outcomes

Public sector data (such as health data) can provide vital insights to help recognise and address inequalities in society. For example, research from the Grampian Regional Equality Council, one of the recipients of our Public Engagement Fund, suggests that the areas of the region with the lowest health outcomes are also home to higher than average proportions of ethnic minorities, and that ethnic minorities have an overall lower level of satisfaction with health services. 

Despite this, discussions around how public sector data is used in research often exclude those who are most affected. When we launched our Public Engagement Fund in January 2023, we knew that we had a responsibility to encourage applications from a broad range of organisations that reach people from a wide range of backgrounds. Throughout the process, from developing the fund criteria to reading proposals and allocating funding, we kept focus on ensuring that the projects we selected were reaching diverse voices across Scotland, and particularly those who are not usually involved in conversations about data. 

Four months in, we’re delighted with the work our Public Engagement Fund recipients have made to reach a wide range of audiences.

Going where the people are

In April, I visited Edinburgh Science Festival and caught up with Generation Scotland, who were exhibiting their work and talking to young people about how data is used in health research, youth loneliness, and how they can get involved.

Generation Scotland is Scotland’s largest family health and wellbeing study, looking to improve the health and wellbeing of current and future generations in Scotland. They’re creating resources to engage members of the public at large-scale events including science festivals and the Royal Highland show; actively reaching out to diverse audience groups with a focus on underrepresented groups including young people, LGBTQIA communities and those in rural Scotland.

Understanding diverse voices 

It’s vital to ensure that public engagement work extends further than those who frequently have a ‘seat at the table’, which includes reaching people who live, work or study in different areas of Scotland. 

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental principles of the Grampian Regional Equality Council’s project, ‘How Fair is North-East Scotland?’. Meeting with participants in focus groups later this year, the project team are looking to understand three key questions: 

1. How do people in marginalised communities feel about research and their involvement with it?
2. What are some mutually beneficial ways people from their communities could be more involved in the future?
3. What barriers would need to be mitigated to facilitate this kind of involvement? 

Meanwhile, The University of Dundee’s ‘Drug Harm Prevention Research’ project has been making great progress in their work exploring perceptions of the use of administrative data in research among people who use drugs.

Working with Restoration Fife, a community organisation for people in recovery from drug and alcohol use, they’ve been hosting sessions to learn group members’ views. The teams are working together to produce a short animated film to be shared among the community and create a lasting impact.

Find out more about our Public Engagement Fund recipients.

Note: Funding from the RDS Public Engagement Fund was also awarded to CodeClan, an Edinburgh-based digital skills academy, which has since sadly entered liquidation and ceased trading. The project therefore may not be able to continue.