Summary
A focus group or discussion group is a form of qualitative research used by social sciences, but also marketing studies, which takes place among a specific group – cultural, societal or ideological – to determine the response of this group and the attitudes it adopts regarding a product, an issue or any concept.
It is a way of studying social perceptions, different from one-on-one interviews and which reveals the interaction in the group.
In the case of participatory assessment and participatory modelling, it can be a useful technique to gather stakeholders from the same sector to allow discussions that might not take place when all sectors are represented and if the considered issue raises conflicts. Furthermore, it may be more effective to work with smaller groups to involve the actors in the co-construction of the models and to go into more technical or specific details.
For additional information
Date: November 2017-2020
This work has been funded through the ALICE project. ALICE is a project funded in 75% by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the umbrella of INTERREG Atlantic Area with the application code: EAPA_261/2016. The 11 partners involved in the project are from Portugal, Spain, Northern Ireland, France, The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The three-year project started in November 2017 has cost 3 million euros with 25% covered by the beneficiary partners.
Credits: Denis Bailly, Johanna Ballé, Klervi Fustec, Juliette Herry, Michel Lample, Manuelle Philippe.