Best practice when conducting evaluation and wellbeing surveys

The ONS reported that during testing, some callers were apprehensive about asking people direct questions about loneliness and wellbeing, but actually found that the questions were generally well received and did not upset respondents.

Those test interviewers said that people answered the questions easily, without taking too long, and seemed to be answering honestly. That doesn’t mean everyone will find it easy, but there are things that we can think about in order to help:

Giving clear information about the nature of the call

The call script helps you to explain why you’re calling and what the call will involve. It also offers information about why we ask these questions and what we do with the responses, which means you can assure the person you’re speaking to that their answers are confidential and stored securely, in accordance with GDPR and other UK legislation.

Being clear that participation is a choice

The call script helps you to let someone know that they have a choice about participating, and that agreeing to be asked the questions does not mean they have to answer all or any of them. You can remind them of this during the conversation, too.

Introducing each set of questions

We use introductions to each set of questions that have been recommended by, for example, the Campaign to End Loneliness. The introductions allow the person you’re speaking to, to be prepared for the topic and gives them a chance to say if they would prefer not to hear the questions and move on to the next set.

The respondent's situation when receiving the call

Interviewers told the ONS that people were happiest to answer the questions when they were somewhere private (including at home speaking on the telephone), were not hurried, and speaking to someone friendly.

Our general experience with these surveys is that most people do not mind answering the questions, especially when they know that their responses are confidential.

However, if someone is tired or not feeling well, they might find it harder than usual to follow the questions; always check that the person you’ve called is feeling alright and is happy to go ahead, and arrange to call back another time if they’d prefer that.

The tone and approach of the caller

We speak to older people who we know are likely to be or have been feeling lonely. Guidance on making these sorts of calls encourages callers to:

• Stay mindful of what loneliness is and how it can feel.
• Show interest in the person they’re speaking to.
• Offer empathy, openness, warmth and respect.

The surveys are separate from the support that volunteers offer to older people when they call for a chat or host them at a tea party, but we’d like everyone to recognise callers from Re-engage as being friendly and genuine, and feel at ease on the call.

Besides informing them about the purpose of your call, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself and ask the older person a general question, such as “How are you?”, at the start of the conversation. You might sometimes be the only person they have spoken to that day; even when you’ve called with a specific purpose, people tend to appreciate being asked after.

When giving information and asking questions, the advice is to:

• Speak clearly – but without shouting or slowing so much that the other person feels patronised.
• Read out the response categories with each question, repeating them if needed.
• React to the person’s answers by acknowledging what they’ve said, but try not to behave as if their answer is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, as this may make it harder for them to answer other questions honestly.