MarketingSurveys
survey of website visitors
2021-04-21
Research objectives
What do we want to find out?
1. What level of knowledge do our website visitors have about climate change and how to tackle it?
• Do they know what a carbon footprint actually is? • Do they know what the gov't plans to do and what Net Zero is? • Do they know that the global effects of climate change are already being felt around the world esp in poor nations, e.g. refugees?
2. How well does our website content persuade our website visitors to act?
• Does the website give the reader enough information to make the plans convincing? • If they didn't find it convincing, what arguments were bad or wrong or missing - radio buttons (list needed) • What kind of content would be more convincing? Experts endorsements, data on carbon footprints, video intro...
3. Why did they visit our website?
• Did they visit primarily to find out about carbon footprints, footprinting groups, universal carbon credits & climate policy, carbon offsetting, what climate change will cause, how to plan for the impact of climate change, how to plan for the energy transition
4. What are their feelings about our North London pilot footprinting group?
• If this group demonstrated a significant reduction in their collective carbon footprint, would it make them consider joining and donating? • If the gov't was impressed by the group's carbon footprint reductions and made public statements about it, would it make people consider joining or donating more?
5. How likely is it that our website visitors will support our activities?
• would you consider a regular donation to Carbon Watchdog to develop and achieve these goals? • if you wanted to support us, would you: - join the group but not donate? - just donate? - both?
Suggestions/advice for how to run this research
Start with a few questions now, see how long it takes to reach e.g. 50 responses, assess the information you get back, then update the questionnaire and ask slightly different things. Don’t try to ask everything at once, as it will get quite long and put people off.
Copy how other organisations have asked their questions, especially if they have published the results, because then you have something to benchmark the results against – it will be easier to see what’s a high or low number, because you have context to compare it to
Some climate change surveys by other organisations:
• YouGov OVO Energy climate survey PDF: https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/2lhk9n9so1/OVOEnergy_Climate_201104_W1.pdf • YouGov Hanover cliate survey PDF: https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/x8hn3j4i4n/Hanover_Climate_200210.pdf • YouGov Cambridge climate attitudes: https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/xlz28wjcpt/YGC_GB_environmental__attitudes.pdf • YouGov Cambridge climate practical choices: https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/y3tuexuu9l/YGC_GB_environmental_behaviours.pdf
People usually cannot accurately tell you in advance what would convince them. Instead, it can be best to understand their current levels of knowledge and motivation, and then design communications which are focused on moving them to the next level; then try it out and measure again, to see if the knowledge and motivation levels have gone up or not
Try to ask balanced, not leading questions: ‘how clear or unclear is it…’ for example – gives people permission to say it’s unclear, if that is how they really feel, so you are more likely to get honest and not skewed answers
I’d suggest waiting until the first footprint community is live, before asking people if it’s persuasive
Suggested questionnaire to meet (some of) the research objectives
Thank you for visiting Carbonwatchdog. We would like to understand more about your thoughts and feelings, to inform our work. Please could you help us by answering a few short questions…
- How well, if at all, would you say you understand climate change
- Understand very well
- Understand fairly well
- Don’t understand very well
- Don’t understand at all
- How well, if at all, would you say you understand carbon footprints
- Understand very well
- Understand fairly well
- Don’t understand very well
- Don’t understand at all
- How clear or unclear is it to you, how you could reduce your personal carbon footprint
- Very clear
- Fairly clear
- Fairly unclear
- Very unclear
- Why did you visit our website today?
- For help to reduce my carbon footprint
- To find out more about climate science
- To find out what can be done to tackle climate change
- For information about carbon credits and rationing
- For information about footprinting community groups
- To join a footprinting community group
- For information about how to get involved
- To support or donate to Carbonwatchdog
- Something else – please specify
- How well, if at all, would you say you understand the work that Carbon Watchdog is doing
- Understand very well
- Understand fairly well
- Don’t understand very well
- Don’t understand at all
- Which of these actions, if any, are you likely to do in the next month:
- Sign up for the newsletter
- Follow Carbon Watchdog on social media
- Donate to Carbon Watchdog
- Join a community footprint group
- Share information with others
- Take steps to reduce my carbon footprint
- Find out more about carbon footprints
- Find out more about carbon credits and rationing
- Come back to the Carbon Watchdog website
- Something else – please specify
- None of the above