Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: consultation analysis

9. Next Steps

We would like to once again extend our thanks to all who participated in the consultation process. All suggestions, even those not explicitly stated within this document, are being considered by the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey team. The feedback gathered has significantly influenced and assisted in guiding various re-procurement and development work streams on survey design. Responses to the consultation have been published (where permission was granted) and are available to view on the consultation webpage.

Three key streams of discussion have emerged from the consultation feedback, which are being taken forward as part of our review of the SCJS. The key streams can be summarised as survey design, ongoing user engagement, and questionnaire development. These streams of discussion were the basis of the three user workshops which took place in January 2022. A summary of the feedback gathered at these workshops and the accompanying papers which were distributed to attendees is available on the Scottish Government website.

9.1 Next Steps - Survey Design

Feedback and comments were made about aspects such as the sample size, the survey aims, and the survey scope. These comments informed the development of an options appraisal paper, that outlined potential survey design options, methodologies, and considerations such as sample size and strategy, and how these might align with user needs.

9.2 Next Steps - User Engagement

Given the feedback received, there is potential to improve the SCJS user experience through reviewing how the current survey data and materials are presented and promoted to users. For example, it has been raised that aspects such as the data available through the UK Data Service and the Interactive Data Tool could be better explained and promoted. The accessibility and promotion of these resources is being considered by the SCJS team, reviewing aspects such as their visibility on the website, the clarity of the data content, and overall ease of access. In light of this, the SCJS team are considering how to improve access and use of the available data and resources, and how to help users to navigate the questionnaire to understand what is included and when, as well as communicating any upcoming question or rotational changes.

9.3 Next Steps - Questionnaire Development

The survey team are committed to further development of the SCJS questionnaire to better understand the victim experience. Specifically, this work will relate to questions on partner abuse and cyber crime. Work has previously been undertaken on the development of the partner abuse module of the SCJS, but was paused in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, new questions on cyber crime were introduced to the SCJS questionnaire in 2018/19. The SCJS team are committed to further develop theses area by reviewing both topics. The feedback received during the SCJS consultation has highlighted that both partner abuse and cyber crime remain of high interest to survey users. The SCJS team will return to this questionnaire development work in the spring of 2022, with the goal of incorporating changes made in the first fieldwork year of the new survey contract.