Access to data does not necessarily help to build trust in research, finds a new study into the public perceptions of open data released today, 21st June, by Research Councils UK (RCUK). Instead the public had mixed views as to whether trust could be built by opening up data or whether trust could be undermined if confusion was caused by multiple interpretations of the same data.
The report from the public dialogue on open data, which was commissioned by RCUK in partnership with JISC, the Royal Society and Sciencewise-ERC, aimed to engage the public with issues around open data to potentially inform future policies in this area.
Chair of the steering group which oversaw the study, Dr Steven Hill commented: “This dialogue exercise has demonstrated that it is possible to engage the public on research policy and draw useful conclusions. The people involved in this dialogue demonstrated a subtle appreciation of the issues at play. Although a small scale study, this work suggests that the public could play a part in such research policy discussions in future.”
David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science commented: “This report demonstrates why it’s so important to engage the public in policy development and shows a clear understanding of the issues surrounding use of research data. It will make an important contribution to the work being done by government, research funding bodies and other organisations on opening up access to research findings.”
Other findings from the study include:
- Though supportive in principle, the public have a nuanced view about data openness. The extent to which data should be made available depends on the funder of research and the public interest in the topic, particularly concerning health outcomes. It also needs to be balanced with costs (including time of researchers).
- Data openness does not in itself guarantee trust; part of a trustworthy system, but not the sole requirement
- Governance of research data is of interest to the public with interesting models being suggested including a 'tiered approach' driven by a public interest test.
The study supports the current RCUK data policy as being broadly in line with public expectations.
- ends -
Further information
Contact:
Alexandra Saxon
Head of Communications
Tel: 01793 444474 or email: Alexandra Saxon
Notes to editors
The Open Data Dialogue Final Report was prepared by Darren Bhattachary and Douglas Dalziel, TNS BMRB and is available here.
The research comprised a number of elements:
- an initial literature and policy review of the area
- two reconvened discussion groups in Swindon and Oldham
- a workshop involving key stakeholders conducted between the first and second wave of the public dialogues.
A total of 40 public participants were recruited - demographically reflecting the gender, socio-economic group, age group and ethnicity profiles of their local area.
Further information about the methodology can be found in Appendix One of the report.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils who annually invest around £3 billion in research. We support excellent research, as judged by peer review, that has an impact on the growth, prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. To maintain the UK’s global research position we offer a diverse range of funding opportunities, foster international collaborations and provide access to the best facilities and infrastructure around the world. We also support the training and career development of researchers and work with them to inspire young people and engage the wider public with research. To maximise the impact of research on economic growth and societal wellbeing we work in partnership with other research funders including the Technology Strategy Board, the UK Higher Education funding bodies, business, government, and charitable organisations. www.rcuk.ac.uk.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC).