Gathering evidence

To be a great campaigner and to be taken seriously by those you’re trying to influence it’s really important to gather evidence. There are basically five steps to good evidence-based campaigning.

Stage 1: What am I interested in?

This is your issue, so for example it might be getting a dropped kerb installed.

• What am I trying find out?

If you’re trying to get a dropped kerb installed in your local area for example, it might be really useful to find where the nearest dropped kerb is or to look at different routes.

• What have other people said about the issue?

If you wanted to get a hoist installed to your local swimming pool so that disabled people can use the pool you might like to speak to other disabled people in your local area and see whether they would benefit from it too. You could also do some research on the internet to find out the health benefits associated with swimming for your particular impairment.

Stage 2: Who do you want to ask about the issue?

• Do you want to ask disabled people, their families, their parents, or local businesses?

• How can I best talk to these people about their views and experiences?

If you want to find out about disabled children for example you should talk to disabled people themselves and be aware of any special access requirements they have. It might be more appropriate to speak to their parents, support workers or advocates. Who you choose to speak to will have an effect on the way you talk about the issue.

• What type of data do I want to use?

You can use facts and figures, personal case studies or both.

• How will I collect the data?

There are many ways to collect data – for example you could run a survey, talk to people face to face or set up a campaign focus group.

Stage 3: ethical issues

• Are there any ethical issues you need to consider before or during the research? You might ask yourself…

• What impact will the research have on the research participants and myself?

• Do I need parental or other permission?

• Does my data need to be confidential?

• Does my data need to be anonymous, so that respondents can’t be identified?

Stage 4: What have I learnt?

This is the part where you work out what you have found out. You might ask yourself how have I added to what I already know, what key areas do I now know about that I didn’t before? Are there any key themes which I need to expand into campaigns asks for example?

Stage 5: What do I want to do with the data?

Do you want to write a briefing paper to influence your MP, councillor or other elected representative or do you want to use it as the basis for a broader campaign ask to the general public or simply to raise awareness? How you want to use your data will determine how you eventually present it and how deeply you need to analyse it.

• How should I present my findings?

You can produce a campaigns leaflet or a briefing paper or a simple poster. However you choose to present your findings you must ensure that they are accessible to everybody. You might need to produce an Easy Read version or a summary. Always consider who needs to know about your findings when deciding how best to present them.