Politicians and the public don’t necessarily view R&D in the same way, yet as advocates we may not be changing our messages to suit our audience.
CaSE’s Discovery Decade programme aims to help anyone talking about R&D to reach broader audiences by tailoring their messages. The programme has extensively explored how the public think and feel about R&D as a political priority, including through nationally-representative polls surveying 20,000 people and focus groups across the UK. Combining this data with insights from experts across the R&D sector, we have developed guidance for anyone who want to make R&D matter to more people, whether that’s the public or politicians.
We hope these guides are useful in your influencing activities, and we welcome you sharing the content and repurposing it for your own work. Key statistics are referenced throughout the guides, with the full evidence available on our Public Attitudes to R&D pages. If you have feedback on the guides, please contact Rebecca Hill.
Which guide is for you?
I want to engage the public about R&D in a way that feels relevant
Our Guide for Engaging the Public aims to help advocates engage the public with R&D content in a way that feels meaningful, clear and relevant.
In particular, we encourage advocates to talk about R&D’s purpose and the places it happens, as proven ways to make R&D feel more tangible.
This guide is for any organisation or individual engaging with the public about R&D and R&D investment.
I want to show politicians that the public cares about R&D
Our Guide for Engaging Politicians aims to help advocates convey the nature of public support for R&D, using key statistics from our research.
Advocates must convey the public’s interest in R&D to secure long-term political support.
This guide is for any organisation or individual engaging with political decision makers at national, regional or local level.