Research with residents and communities
Independent research and consultation for local authorities, combined authorities and other public bodies, from representative resident surveys to focused engagement on services, policy, and place.
Trusted by
A selection of the local authorities, combined authorities, national park authorities, partnerships, and other organisations we have worked with.
Representative evidence that can be compared and tracked
Resident surveys are a major part of our work with local authorities. We design surveys to provide a robust picture of local opinion, rather than simply feedback from the people most likely to respond.
That means thinking carefully about sample design, quotas, fieldwork approach, and when interviews take place, as well as the questionnaire itself. Where appropriate, we use established Local Government Association questions alongside bespoke questions so results can be benchmarked against other areas and tracked over time.
Depending on the authority, location, and research objectives, fieldwork can include telephone, face-to-face on-street or doorstep interviewing, online participation, or a mixed approach.
Quotas can be set by age, gender, geography, ethnicity, working status, and other characteristics relevant to the local population.
LGA ‘Are you being served?’ questions can provide consistent measures and national benchmarking alongside locally specific questions.
Telephone, face-to-face, doorstep, on-street, and online methods can be combined to reach a broad cross-section of residents.
Repeated waves, subgroup analysis, confidence intervals, and benchmarking help authorities understand change rather than just a single headline result.
Research across local services, policy, and place
Our local and regional government work covers a much wider range of consultation, evaluation, and community research.
Public consultation and engagement
Independent consultation on service changes, budget setting, local proposals, strategies, and decisions affecting communities.
Policy and service research
Research and consultation on topics such as library services, waste & recycling, leisure services, highways & travel, public safety, climate change, homelessness, substance misuse, private rental licensing, and other service areas.
Hard-to-reach communities
Targeted approaches to hear from people who may be under-represented in open consultations or standard online surveys.
Combined authority research
Regional studies spanning multiple boroughs or districts, with samples designed to reflect different places and population groups.
Place, regeneration, and local change
Baseline and follow-up research to understand how residents experience neighbourhoods, public spaces, transport changes, and regeneration.
Visitor and non-visitor research
Research for museums, galleries, parks, attractions, and destinations to understand users, non-users, and barriers to participation.
Resident and community research in practice
A selection of projects showing the range of organisations, audiences, methods, and research questions involved in our residents and communities work.
Resident research partnership with Cornwall Council
Multiple waves of representative resident research delivered since 2018, providing trend data and benchmarking across the programme.
View case study →Tracking resident views for the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Three representative survey waves delivered in 2023, 2024, and 2025, combining CATI and face-to-face interviewing to track resident views over time.
View case study →Consulting four London boroughs on the future of environmental services
Representative surveys, open consultation, and eight focus groups across four London boroughs to inform major service recommissioning.
View case study →A growing programme of resident research and consultation with Exeter City Council
A continuing programme spanning representative resident surveys, budget and Corporate Plan consultation, and qualitative consultation with residents, staff, and community organisations.
View case study →Understanding the foundational economy across Greater Manchester
Six focus groups and depth interviews with owners, managers, and employees across Greater Manchester’s foundational economy.
View case study →Understanding what would bring non-users back to Bradford’s libraries
Research with library non-users and residents to understand barriers to use and support future service design.
View case study →Returning to the Yorkshire Dales to track resident perceptions
Recommissioned after the 2018 wave to deliver a representative 1,000-person survey and track changes in resident perceptions.
View case study →Understanding visitors and non-visitors to Kingston town centre
Linked visitor and non-visitor studies involving more than 1,800 on-street interviews to support destination marketing.
View case study →Benchmarking resident satisfaction for Merton Council
1,009 representative face-to-face interviews, with trend analysis and national LGA benchmarking.
View case study →Annual resident survey data collection for Luton Council
Annual data collection since 2023, using telephone and targeted face-to-face interviewing to maintain a representative sample.
View case study →Updating resident perceptions for Southend-on-Sea City Council
1,100 representative interviews, with new questions, subgroup and key driver analysis, and comparisons with the 2021 survey and national polling data.
View case study →Tracking resident satisfaction and budget priorities in Tamworth
A representative 1,100-person survey supporting year-on-year tracking, LGA benchmarking, and budget planning.
View case study →Tracking changing views of Wakefield’s markets
Enventure Research delivered the original 2021 engagement and returned in 2023 to explore how views had changed following changes to the Markets Service.
View case study →Consulting residents and stakeholders on Wirral’s future library service
900 representative interviews, more than 1,100 open responses, and eight focus groups to shape the future library service.
View case study →Setting budget priorities with Sandwell residents
Representative and open consultation, including targeted hard-to-reach engagement and translation support.
View case study →Exploring the impact of Universal Credit on Manchester residents
Three focus groups and five depth interviews exploring the financial, physical, and emotional impact of Universal Credit.
View case study →Understanding how Birmingham residents consume local news
800 representative on-street interviews exploring how residents consume news and local information.
View case study →Benchmarking resident satisfaction in Elmbridge
500 representative interviews using LGA benchmarking questions to compare local satisfaction with the national picture.
View case study →Consultation on property additional licensing scheme and the new selective licensing scheme
Independent consultation analysis, open-text coding, and online events with residents, tenants, landlords, and agents.
View case study →Testing employment and skills campaign concepts with Wakefield residents
Targeted qualitative testing with residents facing different employment barriers to shape campaign concepts and channels.
View case study →Community evidence for a Neighbourhood Plan
559 responses using online, paper, and telephone routes, including random telephone sampling to strengthen the evidence base.
View case study →Tracking resident perceptions in the Peak District National Park
A representative 1,002-person survey introducing telephone quota sampling while maintaining trend comparison with earlier waves.
View case study →What our local government clients say about working with us
Enventure Research have helped us keep our commitment to listening to residents and acting in their best interests. Regular resident surveys help us understand what residents think of their Council, the services it provides and its value for money. Enventure have made this process easy and efficient for us, and the survey is now an integral part of the way we listen to our residents and view our performance. We have full trust in Enventure and their professional process, and we look forward to working with them for the next iterations of our annual survey.
Tell us what you need to understand.
Whether you need a representative resident survey, consultation, targeted community engagement, or a wider programme of local research, we would be happy to talk it through.