Case study · Regulators
Tracking the optical workforce and registrant perceptions for the GOC
A long-running programme of registrant research, first delivered by Enventure Research in 2016 and undertaken annually since 2021, giving the GOC consistent evidence on workforce change, professional experience, and perceptions of regulation.
AudienceAlmost 32,000 GOC registrants across the UK
Approach10–12 minute online census survey with personalised invitations and reminders
Value to General Optical CouncilBenchmarking and current evidence to support policy, services, and stakeholder engagement
The brief
- The GOC regulates the optical professions in the UK and registers almost 32,000 optical professionals and students.
- Its regular Registrant Workforce and Perceptions Survey tracks experiences of clinical practice, workforce issues, and perceptions of the regulator.
- Enventure Research first delivered the survey in 2016 and has undertaken it every year since 2021, including the 2026 wave.
The approach
- The questionnaire was co-designed with the GOC, retaining established questions for trend analysis while adding new topics for the current wave.
- Topics included working status and hours, job satisfaction, career plans, workplace challenges, speaking up, CPD, AI, and vision and safe driving.
- The survey was hosted online and promoted through personalised invitations to registrants, reminders, and wider GOC and stakeholder communications, with verification used for open-link responses.
The outcome
- 3,451 registrants responded, representing an 11% response rate.
- Enventure Research produced an independent report with subgroup analysis by demographics, registration, and workplace characteristics, alongside comparisons with previous waves.
- The findings give the GOC updated evidence on registrant experiences and perceptions and support future service, policy, and engagement decisions.
Client feedback
“I have worked with Enventure Research for several years on annual surveys and project-specific research. They consistently deliver high-quality work, provide excellent data analysis, are responsive and can adapt flexibly to changing requirements. Their reports have supported us in effective stakeholder engagement, policy development and service improvement. They are dependable and easy to work with, and bring an excellent knowledge of the healthcare and regulatory environment.”
Angharad JonesPolicy Manager, General Optical Council