In 2020 to 2021 Deltapoll worked with the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), an independent government advisory body, to measure and track attitudes towards data use and technology. The project consisted of six online waves across Britain.

The CDEI came to us wanting to understand the extent to which the public know about, and are comfortable with, possible and actual uses of their data, particularly in relation to COVID-19.

Concern about the use of algorithms in public life was an issue we monitored from the start. To begin with, algorithmic bias was a concern to only a small minority but by the end of the sixth wave, the issue has exploded into the mainstream in the context of the exam results algorithm. More and more people felt that algorithms were an inherently problematic way of making decisions.

Despite concern about the use of algorithms, the research found broad public support for the use of data-driven technology, in principle, in the fight against COVID-19.

See the CDEI report on some of the findings here. 

 In the run-up to the Generation Equality Forum, Deltapoll worked closely with Focus2030 and Women Deliver to survey a total of 170,160 adults, a representative sample of the populations of 17 countries across six continents, on public attitudes and perceptions of gender equality.

Deltapoll developed a questionnaire that captured public opinion on policy, programmatic, and financial investments that governments, the private sector, and civil society should make to accelerate progress towards gender equality.

The survey was conducted in July and August of 2020 and collected information on the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how COVID-19 has affected gender equality. The results showed the way in which the pandemic has further reinforced existing inequalities between women and men.

Different priorities for progressing gender equality within countries were tested, in line with the themes of the Generation Equality Forum. Results showed that there is now a global consensus on gender equality, with all countries rating ending violence against women as an important priority for citizens.

See here for the full Focus2030 report on the findings and here for a summary published in Forbes.

Deltapoll provides omnibus research for a full range of organisations, but our fast-turnaround polling has proved particularly successful for media clients such as the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mirror. Deltapoll frequently carries omnibus questions on topical issues and current affairs for such media clients.

Our nationally-representative omnibus runs most weeks and is a cost-effective way to conduct quick-fire research, with results typically delivered in 48 hours.

Whether the client has a defined questionnaire or just a vague set of ideas, Deltapoll works collaboratively to develop a set of questions that provide useful information and meet research needs.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life commissioned Deltapoll to run online focus groups to explore the changing role and nature of the Electoral Commission in the light of the emergence of digital campaigning.

The research provided insight into public awareness of the Electoral Commission and its role in the regulation of electoral finance. Ideas were generated for increasing awareness of the Electoral Commission, and future ways of increasing the transparency of digital campaigning on social media platforms.

Deltapoll work closely with the National Education Union on a range of surveys using qualitative focus groups, quantitative polling, and regular tracking research to understand what both the public and NEU members think and feel about topical educational issues and campaigns. During the coronavirus period we have been consistently monitoring the views of teachers and support staff during a critical period when most children have been unable to physically attend school and teachers have been unable to teach using their normal methods. Our research for the NEU has helped to ensure that the teaching union stays up-to-date and relevant, offering members optimal support during a difficult period.