ABSTRACT
While questionnaires can give a useful overview of ‘how-many-think-what’, the information they provide tends to lack depth and detail. This chapter looks at two important methods for gaining a richer understanding of the ideas, preferences and opinions of particular groups of stakeholders. First it introduces the focus group method, suitable for research on consumer and stakeholder preferences and opinions about planning proposals. It then turns to the Delphi study, a useful approach to collating expert opinion on complex and future-oriented research questions. The chapter describes the benefits and limitations of these methods, as well as protocols for their administration.
