A Guide to Running Focus Groups.

By Teresa Crew Bangor University 2010

Definition. A focus group is a planned discussion among a small group (4-12 persons) of stakeholders facilitated by a skilled moderator. It is designed to obtain information about (various) peoples preferences and values pertaining to a defined topic and why these are held by observing the structured discussion of an interactive group in a permissive, non-threatening environment. Thus, a focus group can be seen as a combination between a focused interview and a discussion group. Focus groups can also be conducted online. When to use Focus Groups. Focus groups are good for evaluating services, concept exploration, generating creative ideas or reviewing a programme. They are most appropriate to get a sense of regional, gender, age and ethnic differences in opinion. They are not effective for providing information to the general public or responding to general questions, nor are they used to build consensus or make decisions. Focus groups are used for marketing research and political and sociological work. They are particularly useful when participants reasoning behind their views is of interest. Focus groups are useful to: gauge the nature and intensity of stakeholders concerns, needs and values about an issue obtain a snapshot of public opinion when time constraints or finances do not allow a full review or survey obtain input from individuals as well as interest groups determine what additional information or modification may be needed to develop consultation issues or proposals further.
Individual, In-Depth Interviews In-depth personal accounts In a personal context Exploring issues in depth and detail

Focus Groups
Shaped by group interaction Explore how people discuss issues For creative thinking and solutions Investigate differences within or between groups Abstract / conceptual subjects Exploring social norms

What Kind of Data?

What Kind of Topics?

What Kind of People?

Understanding complex processes and issues (e.g. motivations, decisions) Exploring sensitive subjects. Who are less likely to travel Who are dispersed Who are diverse Issues of power / status Who may have communication difficulties

Who are more likely to travel Who live close together Who have some shared background / interest to the topic Who are unlikely to be inhibited by a

group setting.

Advantages of Focus Groups. Focus groups are relatively inexpensive and the format is flexible, allowing participants to question each other and to elaborate upon their answers. Focus groups, in contrast to individual interviews, allow for the participating individuals to develop and express their opinions in a more natural social context, which some claim is more akin to the ways in which people form their opinions in everyday contexts. In addition, this discussion period highlights peoples reasoning and thoughts underlying their expressed opinions. The method is relatively simple, allowing participants to readily grasp the process and purpose. When the power differential between the participants and the decision-makers is great enough to discourage frank participation, the focus group provides the security of a peer group. Furthermore, the method is particularly useful when one is interested in complex motivations and actions, when one will benefit from a multiplicity of attitudes, when there is a desire to learn more about consensus on a topic and when there is a knowledge gap regarding a target audience. Disadvantages of Focus Groups The multiple voices of the participants, as well as the flexibility in process structure, results in limited researcher control over the focus group process. Sometimes group expression can interfere with individual expression and the results may reflect groupthink. Process of setting up a focus group. Setting up and conducting a successful focus group has four stages; A. Planning B. Recruiting C. Moderating D. Analysis and Reporting The following sections will provide a step by step guide for each stage.

A:

Planning

Overview. To prepare for the focus group event at least two staff members must first determine the questions to be addressed by the focus group and the targeted participants.. At the focus group event, which usually lasts for a few hours, the moderator leads the group through a semi-structured discussion to draw out the views of all of the participants and then summarises all of the main issues and perspectives that were expressed. After the event the research staff analyses all results of the focus group(s) conducted and produces a report. Personnel and tasks A minimum of two staff, one administrator and one (moderator/ facilitator, will be needed to prepare for the focus group event. Administrative staff tasks include: preparing and sending information materials for participants organising logistics (location, equipment, catering, accommodation, etc.) set up and clean up after the event distribution of honoraria. 133 Moderator/Research staff tasks include: recruiting potential participants in the focus groups recording proceedings analysing data preparing report Define the purpose of the focus group. Before recruiting participants or compiling the questions to be asked it is important to be clear about the following; What kind of information is needed? How will the information be used? Who is interested in the information? Determine the ideal end-result, including its probable use. Decide who the target participants are, for example, customers, employees, decision groups, etc. Listen to the broad target audience to determine how to select participants, appropriate incentives for various groups and ideal questions and moderator characteristics to maximise participant engagement. Determine, generally, the number of sessions. Consider whether different subgroups of the population have different levels of knowledge or different attitudes that may be relevant to the research and reflect on the expected generalisability to the population at large.

 Decide on the characteristics for the participants for (each of) the focus group(s). If you hold more than one, you may want to divide the individual sessions into groups of people sorted by gender, social class or interest group. Alternatively, you may wish to have more heterogeneous groups.

Developing a topic guide

A pre-prepared topic guide can: Help ensure each group is given adequate opportunity to discuss all the key issues in a similar fashion; Be helpful if the facilitator has been drafted in from outside and is unfamiliar with your unit or section of the organisation; Help the facilitator to stay on track and on time Types of Questions It is important to encourage open exchanges and discussion. As part of your preparation you should focus on how to introduce questions and topics in a conversational manner. The set of questions should include: - Introductory questions: Questions should be designed to get participants discussing the issue of work-related stress in general before homing in on particular issues - Linking questions: Questions which enable the facilitator to move from the broad general discussion, following the introductory question, to the more specific areas of interest; - Key questions: Questions which address the key issues which the facilitator wants to cover in the focus group session. See Appendix A and B for examples of topic guides. Number of questions A rule of thumb is that you will have time for no more than four or five key questions in a focus group lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. Statement on future action It is helpful to include at the end of your question schedule a prepared statement on what will happen next, for example: - How results will be summarised, interpreted and reported; - What other specific actions will be taken; - The timescales for reporting and subsequent action; Developing a method to record the data Before the focus groups begin it is worthwhile to consider how the discussions are to be recorded and how they will be analysed. One way is to produce a template for the facilitators to complete at the end of the session. See Appendix C for an example on how to record the data gathered in the focus group.

Preparing an invitation to participants You should send written (or e-mail) invitations to participants (or gate-keepers in organisations that can provide you with focus group participants) well in advance of the focus groups. Invitations should include a briefing note that: Explains the purpose of the focus groups; Describes what taking part in the focus groups will involve for the individual Explains how issues of confidentiality will be dealt with; Makes clear that participation is voluntary Describes how results will be analysed and reported; Emphasises that individual responses will not be attributable; Describes what will be done with outputs, suggestions for action etc; Offers a contact point for further information; and See Appendix D for an example of an invitation that can also be adapted to use as marketing material i.e advert, flyer. Choosing a venue. It is extremely important to make sure you choose the right venue for your focus group as this will affect participation levels and the discussion. You should ask yourself the following questions when considering a venue:

Is the venue accessible for those with mobility difficulties? Is it accessible in terms of mental access, that is, would the type of people you intend to recruit feel comfortable entering that building? Is the building easy to find and the room easy to locate? Is free parking available close by? Is it accessible by public transport? Is the room big enough to accommodate the number of people you have recruited? Are there enough chairs? Is there anything which could distract the participants (loud noises, telephones, doorbells, people entering the room, people walking past windows, etc)?

Once you have chosen your venue, you need to arrive early to make sure that the seating is arranged in an appropriate manner. There is no set rule for this think about your participants and arrange it accordingly. For example, business people might prefer a boardroom style seating arrangement, whereas adult learners or young people may prefer an informal seminar style arrangement.

Checklist Have you; Prepared a topic guide? Produced a template to record your data? Sorted out a suitable venue?

B:

Recruiting

Without participants you have no focus group. It is essential, therefore, that you take time to ensure that you achieve a high turn out for your focus group. The ideal number of participants is six to twelve. However odd numbers can often work better than even numbers as it is harder for people to pair up in breakaway conversations. What is the best way to find focus group participants? The answer to this question is dependent on a number of factors. If you want to learn more about how your service is perceived by your clients or customers, then the participants would be drawn from your client/customer base. If you want to learn more generic information from a wide group of consumers (i.e various ages, gender, occupations, education levels, etc.) Think about the following points when recruiting your participants:

Over-recruit as some participants will not attend. The moderator should not know members. If at all possible members should not know each other. Offer incentives. If you cannot afford to pay participants, offer refreshments. Recruit people who would be able to chat to each other in everyday life. People must have some sort of common bond to be able to feel comfortable in a group and this will probably be the focus of your research. Do not use regulars (focus-group addicts). Identify the sponsor, the general topic and the purpose of the research. Contact participants one week in advance to let them know about the venue, date and time. Telephone them the day before to make sure they have remembered and are still able to attend. If someone is in a position of power they should not be included in the group as it may stop others airing their opinions, although this is not always possible. Emphasise the need for participants insight to discuss the topic at hand rather than participation in a focus group. This more casual formulation may prove less intimidating. Send personalised letters of invitation to each participant If the focus group participants make up a distinct culture group, it is useful to have a moderator with cultural sensitivity to that group. The moderator should dress as (s)he expects the participants will dress.
Checklist. Have you; Ensured that participants do not know each other? Offered incentives to take part? i.e Payment or refreshments. Avoided using regulars in focus group

C: Moderating A focus group moderator can make or break a focus group. If possible, use an experienced moderator. If you are unable to do that, at least keep the following in mind when selecting someone to lead the group:

Is the person good at drawing people out and encouraging people to speak? Is the person able to control overly dominant people or people making inappropriate comments without disrupting the group? Will the person be able to ask all of the predetermined questions, but also follow-up on comments made by respondents that need clarification? Is the person known by participants? If so, keep in mind this can skew participants responses. Is the person someone that can make a group of diverse participants feel comfortable and safe?

The role of the moderator. As moderator you must spend some time helping participants to relax. In all focus groups you need to explain the purpose of the group, what is expected of participants and what will happen to the results. Negotiate a length for the discussion and ask that everyone respects this as it can be very disruptive having people come in late, or leave early. Usually one and a half hours is an ideal length, although some focus groups may last a lot longer. Assure the participants about anonymity and confidentiality, asking also that they respect this and do not pass on what has been said in the group to third parties. You may find it useful to produce and distribute a Code of Ethics (see Chapter 13). Asking questions General, easy to answer questions should be asked first. Dont expect any type of personal disclosure early in the group. As moderator, listen carefully to everything people say, acknowledging that you are listening by making good eye contact and taking notes regarding issues to which you may return later. Make sure that no one person dominates the discussion as tis will influence your data. Some moderators prefer to use a list of questions as their interview schedule, whereas others prefer to use a list of topics (see Chapter 7 for more information on developing an interview schedule). The overall aim is a free-flowing discussion within the subject area, and once this happens the input from the moderator may be considerably less than it would be in a one-to-one interview. Seeking responses In focus groups you need to try to get as many opinions as possible. You will find that in most focus groups, most people will talk some of the time, although to varying degrees. In some groups, some people may need gentle persuasion to make

a contribution. You have to use your discretion about how much you do this as there might be occasions when somebody is unwilling or too nervous to contribute. You often find that, even though you have negotiated a time, people enjoy the discussion and want to continue, although at this stage you must make it clear that people can leave, if they wish. Often, some of the most useful and pertinent information is given once the official time is over. Also, you will find that people talk to you on an individual basis after the group has finished, especially those who might have been nervous contributing in a group setting. It is useful to take a notepad and jot down these conversations as soon as possible after the contact as the information might be relevant to your research. Finishing the focus group When you have finished your focus group, thank the participants for taking part and leave a contact name and number in case they wish to follow up any of the issues that have been raised during the discussion. Its good practice to offer a copy of the report to anybody who wants one. However, this might not be practical if the final report is to be an undergraduate dissertation. You could explain this to the participants and hope that they understand, or you could offer to produce a summary report which you can send to them. TABLE 8: STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH AWKWARD SITUATIONS SITUATION Break-away conversations Digressions Silences Dominance STRATEGY Say: Im sorry, would you mind rejoining the group as this is really interesting? Say: Thats interesting, what do the rest of you think about (back to the topic) Remain silent. Someone will speak as they will begin to feel uncomfortable. If no one does, ask the question again. First of all stop making eye-contact and look at other people expectantly. If this fails, say: Thank you for your contribution. Can we get some opinions from the rest of you please? Or What do the rest of you think about that? (This should counteract the one dominant argument by receiving other views on the same issue.) If it is obvious from the start that you have a clear leader who will influence the rest of the group, try to give them another role which takes them away from the discussion, such as handing out refreshments or taking notes. If, however, leadership tendencies arent immediately obvious, but manifest themselves during the discussion, try to deal with them as with dominance, above. If this still fails, as a last resort you might have to be blunt: Can you let others express their opinions as I need to get as wide a variety as possible? Ive actually had to cut short one group and rearrange it when that person wasnt present. The other members were happy to do this as they were free to express themselves

Leadership

and their opinions were quite different from those of their selfappointed leader. Disruption by On rare occasions I have come across individuals who want to participants disrupt the discussion as much as possible. They will do this in a number of ways, from laughing to getting up and walking around. I try to overcome these from the start by discussing and reaching an agreement on how participants should behave. Usually I will find that if someone does become disruptive, I can ask them to adhere to what we all agreed at the beginning. Sometimes, the other participants will ask them to behave which often has a greater influence. Defensiveness Make sure that nobody has been forced to attend and that they have all come by their own free will. Be empathetic understand what questions or topics could upset people and make them defensive. Try to avoid these if possible, or leave them until the end of the discussion when people are more relaxed.

Have you; Prepared copies of any questionnaires or handouts, if there are any? Identify small talk topics for discussion with participants as they arrive? Avoid the focus group topic. Secured audio or video-recording equipment, extra batteries, tapes, extension cords, notepads and pens? Made nametags? Arranged furniture in the room? Ensure absence of disruptive background noise that might interfere with discussion and recording? Set up and test recording equipment? Set out refreshments? Have payments and/or travel imbursement money ready?

D. Analysis and Reporting The way that focus group data is analyzed and reported varies greatly. If you are the person writing the report, it is important to attend the groups if at all possible, or to transcribe the tapes from the group in order to really understand the degree of feeling people used while expressing their ideas. Analysing qualitative data can be broken down into three stages: 1. Familiarisation.

Start whilst still in the group

-

listen for inconsistent comments and probe for understanding Consider asking each participant a final preference question. Offer a summary of key questions and seek confirmation.

Read the transcripts of the interviews and familiarise yourself with the data. Literally 'label' the data so that it can be easily identified and categorised as common themes emerge. Depending on your consultation, it could relate to age, gender, postcode or for example, whether a view was prompted or based on actual experience. 2. Organisation. Structure the data by collating all the data under the different labels. Start building up an outline of the issues and begin compiling them under common themes. 3. Interpretation. Issues and themes can then start to be developed and tested. This stage - and your ability to develop explanations - lies at the heart of analysis. Most data is very rich in the levels of explanation it can offer and you need to think about drawing out and explaining why patterns, linkages or apparent contradictions are found in the data. Describe findings and use quotes to illustrate.

The day after the Focus Group

Prepare the Report

The nature and style of the report will depend upon the audience. It is recommended to use summary as well as specific quotes (without mentioning individuals names) to illustrate the various perspectives, ideas and concerns. Consider narrative style versus bulleted style. Sequence could be question by question or by theme. Share the report with others for verification and then revise.

See Appendix E for a sample short research report

End.

References. Flemish Institute for Science and Technology Assessment. (2005). Participatory

Methods Toolkit. A practitioners manual

Gibbs, Anita. (1997). Social Research Update 19: Focus Groups. HSE. (1998). How to Organise and Run Focus Groups.

Stewart, David .(2007). Focus Groups: Theory and Practice

Appendix A: Topic Guide for lone parents Focus Group (name of local authority has been purposely left out) Rethinking Families in Parents focus group Topic Guide Introduction Purpose of project Confidentiality Attribution Structure of the session Warm up People to describe themselves where they live, number and ages of children, if they have a partner. A little about living history (have they lived elsewhere for example) Life as a lone parent in What do you like most about being a parent? What are the good things about being a parent? What is more difficult about being a lone parent? Personal security, childcare, transport, money, loneliness etc How does living in . (or living where you live) help or hinder you as a lone parent? How do you think things have changed for parents like you in the last 10 years (e.g. since Labour came to power)? Reactions to images of lone parents Get parents to write a headlines on how lone parents can be potrayed i.e feckless lone parents, benefit junkies, poor love, couldnt keep a man reactions to these Get parents to write their own headline about how they would like to be perceived. Public services in Thinking about public services in (local council, health, police), how do you think that they perceive you as a parent? How is it different to other family types? If there was one thing that local public services should do differently to respond to your needs (different word here??), what would it be? Flexibility of provision? Easier to contact? How would you like local public services to treat you/communicate with you differently? By letter, phone email, text?

Appendix B: Topic Guide for Single person household focus group. Rethinking Families in - Topic Guide Single Person Households Introduction Purpose of project Confidentiality Attribution Structure of the session 90 minutes, recording for research purposes only Warm up People to describe themselves where they live, job history A little about living history (have they lived elsewhere for example) Life as a person living as a single person household in Why do you to choose to live alone? If mix of men and women, probe gender issues? How do you think it is different for men and women living on their own? What do you like most about living as a single person? What is more difficult about being a single person household? Household issues, socializing, finding work, keeping up with friends and family, crime and safety etc. How involved are you in the local community or do you have different networks? How does living in (or living where you live) help or hinder you as a single person householder? What are your plans for the future stay as a single person household? What are your aspirations in terms of living and working here in Gwynedd? Public services in If there was one thing that local public services should do differently to respond to your needs (different word here??), what would it be? Flexibility of provision? Easier to contact? How would you like local public services to treat you/communicate with you differently?

Appendix C: Data recording sheet for focus groups.

Theme Warm up

Response

Life as a lone parent in

Reactions to images of lone parents

Public services in

Appendix D Focus Group invite

January 2008. Hello, Firstly I would like to thank you for agreeing to take part in a . focus group. Your views are important to . and are vital in ensuring that the services we provide are fit for need.

Confidentiality.
Please be assured that the information you provide today is strictly confidential and will only be used to help inform . on the types of services needed to help parents in Gwynedd.

Purpose of the focus group.

The main purpose of this focus group is to find out more about your day to day life as a parent in . We will be discussing the following themes; Life as a parent living in . Public services in ..

Writing materials will be provided for you to write down your views or experiences. The focus group is expected to last approximately 60-90 minutes. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything you are unsure about.

Thank you!

Teresa Crew

Appendix E:

Sample Executive Summary report

Background. The rise in single person households has been one of the most important demographic changes in recent years. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) specifies that there have been four key trends which will continue over the next decades: elderly people, particularly women are the most likely group to live alone; the fastest growth in solo living is amongst people aged 25 and 44. growth in solo living has been fastest among young men; solo living is becoming more permanent, particularly for men (JRF, 2006: 3). The purpose of the report. In December 2007 Teresa Crew, an independent researcher, was commissioned to carry out a study looking at the diversity of family types across . This study will provide statistical data on family types in combined with the views and experiences of life in gathered from various family types across the county. This interim report provides a discussion of the main findings from a second focus group carried out with a group of single person householders living across Gwynedd. This report will provide preliminary findings and set the scene for the final report Rethinking Families; expected to be completed in February 2008. Conducting the focus groups. Focus groups are an organised discussion with a pre-selected group of individuals with the express aim of gaining information concerning their views and experiences on a particular topic. The main benefit of focus group research is that it can acquire insights into peoples shared understandings of everyday life (Gibbs, 1997). The first focus group was carried out to ascertain the views of parents living in . This focus group was carried out in January 2008, details of which are provided in an earlier report. The second focus group was carried out during February 2008 and was held at the . Various recruitment methods were used to identify single person households, for example; a message posted on University of Wales Intranet for mature students; Advertisement posted on Face book (the internet social utility) and word of mouth recruitment. University of Wales Intranet site was the most useful recruitment method. Eight participants in total were recruited and were paid 30 each for their participation. Views from the focus group.

Warm-up section.

In the warm up section participants were encouraged to share biographical information. Five of the participants were female, the remaining three were male.

Participants were aged twenty six to forty; one participant did not disclose her actual age, but specified that she was in her late forties. All were employed in a range of professions including secretarial, professional, skilled trades and personal service. Most participants were owner occupiers in houses that generally had three or more bedrooms. Following the introductory part of the focus group 1 male participant outlined that he currently lived with his father. The focus group was facilitated by and Teresa Crew, an independent researcher. The discussion centred on three main themes; Life as a person living in a single person household in Public Services. Policy implications for .

Living in a single person household in.

Following a biographical outline1 participants in the single household focus group were asked Why do you to choose to live alone?. This question prompted all participants to point out that they had previously lived with someone, either in marriage, long term relationship or with friends. Views were mixed on whether it was an actual choice to live alone: one female respondent said it was a specific choice, whilst another lived by herself following a relationship break down. Respondents suggested that the main reason that they chose to live alone was because it was a lot easier only having to worry about yourself. One lady who participated put forward the view that she chose to live alone as she was set in her

ways.

The reasons given by the respondents didnt appear to differ greatly in terms of gender however when the facilitator asked Do you think it is different for men and women living on their own? respondents suggested that there were perceived gender differences. The majority of the women in the focus group said that the perception was that women might find it harder in terms of practical issues such as carrying out household repairs. Whilst a male participant outlined that many people he encountered seemed to presume that he would find it harder to look after himself, perhaps perceiving him as a helpless male. The focus group discussion turned naturally to the issue of the future were a slight majority of participants suggested that they would like to live with someone in the future. A younger female participant outlined that Im scared to think that I will live on my own forever. However one female outlined that although I didnt like to

think that I will live on my own forever, I cant imagine sharing my house with anyone. Whilst another lady said that she would be quite happy to live on her own

forever. It appeared that the longer someone had lived by themselves, the more ambivalent they were to living with someone else in the future. Furthermore most of the participants seemed to be wary about someone else moving in case that they would want a portion of the house if the relationship broke down. One participant made the point that people today are not as trusting; she suggested that in the past it was more natural for people to meet someone and then end up living together or
Provided at the start of this chapter.

getting married, whilst nowadays people are a lot more wary of making that commitment. Participants were askedWhat do you like most about living as a single person?. Responses again were very similar; most saying that they liked their own space; they liked having things in their home a certain way and they also enjoyed the freedom that came with living by oneself. In terms of What is more difficult about being a single person household? respondents pointed out that there was a lot of responsibility on their shoulders when living alone, specifically in terms of income and the general responsibility of taking care of the house. A younger female respondent outlined how it was particularly difficult to be able to afford to run her house and also have the opportunity like most young people to go out an enjoy herself. All of the focus group respondents agreed that the amount of council tax they paid, in comparison to a family, was a particular bone of contention2. These issues were revisited later on in the discussion. Participants were then asked How does living in help or hinder you as a single person householder?. The views given were centered around Bangor and focused on two interlinked issues; the student population and housing issues. In a similar vein to the views of the previous focus group, the student population of Bangor was denoted as being a particular issue, specifically in terms of the availability of rented accommodation. One participant outlined how It is impossible for anyone who is not a student to rent privately. Respondents felt that many people in Bangor were being driven out of the area due to this issue. Respondents suggested that there was nothing in Bangor, pointing out that Welsh language and culture was being eroded in Bangor due to the lack of social housing for long term residents, the student population and lack of employment opportunities.

Public Services in .

In this section a point that was made earlier about Council Tax rates was revisited. Many suggesting that the amount they paid wasnt fair. One lady pointed out that she didnt feel that it would cost local authorities more to provide services for single people. One lady outlined how she felt that

Participants agreed that families should be provided with help and support, however one participant felt, to the agreement of the other participants that the more children you have the better off you were. The overriding view was that single people also need to be provided with help and support. When asked If there was one thing that local public services should do differently to respond to your needs what would it be? help with Council Tax has highlighted as one way of supporting single person households. Most participants felt it was
2

The government turns the tables on single people as they dont do anything for them. Everyone else gets Tax Credits, but single people dont get anything, they are penalised.

Single person households pay 75% of Council Tax.

particularly unfair that whilst a couple pays 100% of Council Tax, a single person is required to pay 75%. One participant said that she felt she was being penalised for being a working single person and put forward the suggestion that single people should be required to pay 50% of Council Tax rather than the existing 75%.

Implications of more people living alone

Finally the focus group participants were asked that in light of changing demographic structures What are the implications of more people living alone? On the positive side some participants mentioned there would be increased financial benefits for Local Authoritys due to the amount of Council Tax that single people are required to pay. Further to this participants felt single person households are less likely to rely on Local Authorities and the Government in terms of services and financial support as they are more likely to be in full time employment. One lady suggesting that there would be less social problems. In terms of the negative implications one participant highlighted that as the majority of the people in the focus group lived in larger houses, if this trend was to continue, this may affect the availability of suitable housing for families. Further to this one female participant suggested current house prices would make it very difficult for single people to get on the property ladder, thus leading to an increased need for either social housing or further help for first time buyers. Conclusion. This preliminary report provided details of a focus group ran in during February 2008. Focus group participants were individuals who lived alone, better known as single person households. Participants were aged 26 to 40, owner occupiers and were were employed in a range of professions including secretarial, professional, skilled trades and personal service. The purpose of the pilot focus group was to collect data on the positive and negative aspects of living alone and their views on public services in . The first part of the focus group centered on the positive and negative aspects of living alone. The main reason that respondents lived alone was because it was a lot easier only having to worry about yourself. On the negative side it was felt that there was a lot of responsibility on a single person when they lived alone, particularly in terms of income. Participants cited little in the way of actual gender differences, but instead suggested that there were perceived gender differences. The female participants felt that people presumed they would not be able to take care of the household maintenance, whilst male participants suggested that most people seemed to think that they would be helpless living alone. When asked specifically about living in most participants mentioned two interlinked issues; namely the student population and the lack of rented accommodation. Participants outlined that many people in were being driven out of the area as landlords prefer to let to students. Respondents also felt that the student population was eroding the Welsh language and culture.

All of those involved in the focus group centered much of their discussion on Council Tax rates, participants suggesting being required to pay 75% of the rate was unfair. One lady outlined how she felt that single people should be required to pay 50% of Council Tax rather than the existing 75%. Policy implications for . Drawing upon a recent JRF report, as well as the focus group discussions, there are two key policy implications arising from the rise of single person households: 1. Poverty and inequality: the increasing numbers of single person households is likely to increase the numbers of households living in poverty and increase income inequalities. This has implications for policy to address worklessness, but also in terms of addressing in work poverty due to the higher proportional housing and housing related costs for single person households. 2. Housing supply and tenure: the housing stock will need to respond to the rising numbers of people living on their own. Some single person households will over-consume housing, others will place more modest demands on the market and a significant proportion are likely to require subsidised housing. The increase in single person households could lead to a decrease in demand for home ownership, even if home ownership remains the long term housing aspiration for the majority of households. This raises questions about the emphasis within current housing policy for increasing the numbers of homeowners, particularly the priority given to subsidising home ownership at the margins (JRF, 2006: 39).

References. Gibbs, Anita. (1997). Social Research Update 19: Focus Groups. [Online] Available from: http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU19.html [accessed 20 February 2007] Joseph Rowntree (2006). Single Person Households and Social Policy: Looking Forwards. [Online] Available from: http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/ebooks/bennett9781859354759.pdf [Accessed 27 November 2007].