Contact Person:
Dr. Konrad Götz,
goetz@isoe.de
Dr. Jutta Deffner,
deffner@isoe.de
References
Götz, Konrad / Deffner, Jutta (in Vorbereitung): "Also Angst macht es mir nicht - es ist da und ich komm nicht drum herum" – Wahrnehmungs- und Verarbeitungsmuster eines neuen Risikos. ITAS Schriftenreihe
Deffner, J., Mazambani, C., Klintenberg, P., Nantanga, K., Moser-Norgaard, P., Seely, M. (2008): Selected results from socio-ecological participatory situation assessments in two sites in Central Northern Namibia. CuveWaters Paper No 3. Frankfurt
Deffner, Jutta (2004): Mit der Brille der Planerin oder dem Blick der Soziologin. Über Möglichkeiten und Anforderungen bei der Auswertung offener Interviews in den Planungswissenschaften. Working-Paper, Erkner, Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung. Online-Publikation
Götz, K. (2001): Sozial-ökologische Typologisierung zwischen Zielgruppensegmentation und Sozialstrukturanalyse. In: de Haan, G. u.a. (Hrsg.), Typenbildung
Empirical Social Research
The issue of ecology have become once again important in the 21st century, although in a fundamentally different manner than during the ‘eco-wave’ of the 1980’s. We are interested in finding out how consumers and users behave and how target groups want to be addressed concerning their own ideas of sustainability, today and tomorrow. The cross-cutting area ‘empirical social research’ has been at play in all issues of social research in ISOE research projects for the last ten years. Our strength lies in the area of social research, market research and know-how transfer between market research and science. This applies to all issues subsumed under the focus area of “Sustainable Consumption and Production,” such as mobility, energy, water, tourism, construction and housing or nutrition.
The spectrum of our research includes such standardized and qualitative methods of social research as representative surveys, guided interviews, focus groups, creative workshops and participatory methods. We advise our clients in all questions concerning the best choice of method or their possible combination in order to achieve their goals.
Our references include both scientific institutions practicing inter- and transdisciplinary research and businesses (customer surveys, market analysis, target group modeling, communication concepts and evaluation). To insure quality we network with applied environmental research institutions, market research companies and communication agencies.
In our work we adhere to the standard of the ADM Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute (Working Group of German Market And Social Research Institutes).
Standardized methods
We conduct representative surveys and quota surveys across Germany for specific markets and target groups. Our specialty is finding links between individual attitudes and actual behavior – for example, in an area such as traffic, linking mobility styles with emissions profiles, or in the areas of water, lionking the influence of attitudes and socio-demographic criteria with water use, in order to make prognoses.
To this end we perform all the necessary steps: preparation of the survey instruments, organization, carrying out and monitoring of the field work and evaluation and statistical analysis (bi- and multivariate analysis, including regression, factor and cluster analyses).
Qualitative methods
For explorative surveys concerned with specific issues we work both German wide and internationally. Using interviewers trained especially for each project we conduct intensive explorative interviews on given issues. For studies involving product, monitoring or design research we also use intensive explorative interviews, supplementing these with focus groups and creative workshops. For issues arising within the transdisciplinary field between science and praxis we have developed special solutions such as the ‘interdisciplinary expert interview’ or the ‘transdisciplinary reflexive focus group.’
In order to insure the best possible grounding of the issues studied, including during the evaluation process, our researchers always conduct interviews themselves or facilitate group discussions. Our product palette includes field organization, training, facilitation, and the preparation of handbooks, catalogues and scripts, as well as the evaluation and interpretation of results and the drawing of conclusions. Here we make use of our broad experience in computer-supported evaluation of qualitative data to produce longitudinal and lateral collations (Access, MAXQDA).
Participation and evaluation methods
To identify problems in all their interrelationships and to select the best technical options we work with so-called demand-response methods. This involves the meshing of qualitative social science methods (e.g., group discussions) with participative planning methods (e.g. participatory appraisal, participatory planning). Such methods have been used, for example, in development projects where it is a question of involving citizens and gaining their acceptance with respect to environmental and resource technologies (water, sewage, bio-energy, etc.). Here we work closely together with our international partners on-site in order to insure a proper grounding in the socio-cultural context.
The results of such studies are then available for site selection, technology adaptation, pilot project design, or the further development of good governance measures and capacity building and social marketing methods.
Here too we use a range of evaluation methods. To evaluative strategies, concepts or campaigns we employ qualitative-comparative methods or SWOT analyses (as, for example, in the evaluation of promotional strategies for bike traffic communication). Participative evaluation methods are used, in contrast, where it is a question, among other things, of measuring the acceptance of technical solutions. In all cases what is paramount is the tailored development and operationalization of evaluation criteria.
Contact Person:
Dr. Konrad Götz, goetz@isoe.de,
Dr. Jutta Deffner, deffner@isoe.de