Diversity and representation: Why do we ask for demographic information?

At CeBSAP, we aim to produce research findings that have real-world benefits, often providing evidence and recommendations that inform government policy. To help with this, we usually ask our research participants to provide some demographic information about themselves. This varies by project but usually includes age, gender identity and ethnic background. We often also ask about employment status, qualification level, and marital status. Having this information allows us to know the characteristics of people who have taken part in our research, and that means we can understand the extent to which our findings can be generalised to other people. For example, if we know that the people who took part in one of our research projects were representative of their local population, then we could expect that what we found in that research would also tend to be true of other people in the same area. Knowing and reporting the demographic characteristics of our research participants is therefore an important part of our research integrity, as it allows others to have confidence about the extent to which our research findings might apply to other settings (e.g., different geographical areas or population groups).

We only collect demographic data for this reason. All participants are treated with respect and dignity regardless of how they answer demographic questions. All the demographic data that we report in our research findings is in the form of group data, never information about individual participants. For example, we may report the percentage of participants that reported coming from each ethnic background and the average age of participants. If you would rather not answer a demographic question, you can skip the question or select ‘prefer not to say’ (in surveys). 

Equality and diversity

We recognise that people experience hostility, prejudice, and discrimination based on their cultural background, marginalised identities, and beliefs. We are committed to inclusivity and belonging, and we want to ensure that participation in our research is a safe and friendly experience for everyone, whatever their background, identity or beliefs. We also recognise that this is not a straightforward endeavour, but requires continuous improvement. As a team, we have undertaken training from The AntiDiscrimination Focus, but we would also be grateful for any feedback you may have for us to help us improve. Feel free to contact our Research Inclusion Lead:

Helen Birtwhistle
Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology (CeBSAP)
Sheffield Hallam University
Heart of the Campus
Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BQ
Email address: cebsap@shu.ac.uk
Telephone number: 0114 2255046

You can also find out more about the university’s equality, diversity and inclusion values here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-values/equality-and-diversity