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6. Questionnaire and Discussion Guide

Below is an Example of the Environment New Zealand 2007 Review Questionnaire that was used for the Market Research Study.

 

1. What was your main purpose in reading/using the Environment New Zealand 2007 report?
Research
For use in your work (please specify)
Personal reading
Other (please specify)
2. The structure of the Environment New Zealand 2007 report is shown below.  Please identify the sections that you have read, or to which you have referred.
Message from the Minister Preface
Acknowledgements Main Table of Contents
‘About this report’ section  
Chapters:
Chapter Table of Contents ‘ At a Glance’ summary section
‘Introduction’ section ‘National Environmental Indicators’section
‘State and Trends’ section ‘Changes since 1997’ section
References Glossary
Index  
3. When using the report, how frequently do you refer to each of the following chapters?
  Not at all Sometimes Usually Always

Section 1:  Setting the context
Chapter 1: Environmental reporting        
Chapter 2: Our environment and people        

Section 2:  Pressures on the Environment
Chapter 3: Household consumption        
Chapter 4: Transport        
Chapter 5: Energy        
Chapter 6: Waste        

Section 3:  State of the Environment
Chapter 7: Air        
Chapter 8: Atmosphere        
Chapter 9: Land        
Chapter 10: Freshwater        
Chapter 11: Oceans        
Chapter 12: Biodiversity        
4. For each chapter that you have read or referred to, please indicate how useful the chapter was for your information needs.
  Not at all Sometimes Usually Always

Section 1:  Setting the context
Chapter 1: Environmental reporting        
Chapter 2: Our environment and people        

Section 2:  Pressures on the Environment
Chapter 3: Household consumption        
Chapter 4: Transport        
Chapter 5: Energy        
Chapter 6: Waste        

Section 3:  State of the Environment
Chapter 7: Air        
Chapter 8: Atmosphere        
Chapter 9: Land        
Chapter 10: Freshwater        
Chapter 11: Oceans        
Chapter 12: Biodiversity        
5. Which chapter did you find … ?
The most useful: Chapter____Why is that?
The least useful: Chapter____Why is that?
6. When reading the report, how would you rate each of these aspects of Environment New Zealand 2007?  (Please tick one box only for each aspect of the report)
  Very poor Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent
Readability            
Clarity of information            
Layout/presentation of information            
Tables            
Figures and graphs            
Graphics and pictures            
7. All chapters in Environment New Zealand 2007 have a chapter summary titled  “At a Glance”.  There is also a separate Summary report entitled Environment New Zealand 2007 – Summary. Would you prefer there also to be an Executive Summary for the report, and/or a ‘Summing up’ (conclusion) chapter at the end of the report?
Retain current format (chapter summary and separate
Summary report)
Add an Executive Summary only
Add a ‘Summing up’ (conclusion) chapter only
Add both an Executive Summary plus a ‘Summing up’
(conclusion) Chapter
8 (a). Did you find the data in the report to be adequate for your requirements?
Yes ( Skip to Q.9 )
No ( Please answer Q.8 (b) )
8 (b). Why was the data not adequate for your requirements?
9 (a). Do you have any other suggestions that will help ensure that the next national-level state of the environment report (due for publication in 2012) better meets your information needs?
Yes ( Skip to Q.9 (b) )
No ( Skip to Q.10 )
9 (b) . What suggestions do you have?
10 (a). Between now and the publication of the 2012 report, the Ministry will report updates of many of the environmental ‘indicators’ contained in the 2007 report.  Do you have any suggestions for these updates, so that they better meet your information needs?
Yes ( Skip to Q.10 (b) )
No ( Skip to Q.11 )
10 (b). What suggestions do you have?
11. To help us analyse the survey by statistical categories, can you please indicate into which of the following sectors do you fall?
Central government agency
Local government
Industry/business
Professional association
Crown Research Institute
Environmental organisation/NGO
Iwi/Maori
Educational Institution
General public

 

Discussion Guide

Key concepts to convey in the introduction to the group are:

  • MfE has a mandatory requirement to cover off in the report, approximately 80 parts of the environment that need to be recorded over time (a similar concept to GDP monitoring).
  • The next full report is scheduled for 2012.
  • However, MfE will be reporting progress in the interim and the focus groups present the participants with an opportunity to have input to how this may be best achieved to meet the needs of report users.
  • It is MfE’s primary role to effect national level reporting, whilst it is the regional councils’ role to report at regional level.

The following are suggested starting points for investigation that may be included in the Discussion Guide.  The full document will be developed in consultation with client.

  1. To what extent are the group participants familiar with the ‘Environment New Zealand 2007’ report?
  2. For what purpose(s) do they use the report?
  3. How frequently do the group participants use the report?
  4. How do they access it – in printed form, or electronically?  And why?
  5. To what extent do they use the summary document versus the full report?  What role does each document fulfil for the user?
  6. What are the group participants’ initial thoughts and impressions about the report, both positive and/or negative?
  7. Which chapters of the report have they read/referred to?
  8. Which chapter did they find most useful?  And why?
  9. Which chapter did they find least useful?  And why?
  10. How do the group participants feel about specific features of the report, including:

    (a) The overall readability of the report?
    (b) The clarity of information?
    (c) The layout/presentation style?
    (d) The pictures?
    (e) The figures/tabulated data?
    (f) The graphs?
    (g) The Tables of Contents?
    (h) Chapter summaries (“At a glance”) versus an executive summary for the whole report?

  11. What suggestions do the group participants have for improving the report, to better meet their needs in future?
  12. How easy is it to use the report?  Why is it easy/not easy to use?
  13. Are there any aspects of the report that the group participants consider confusing, or difficult to understand?
  14. Taking everything into consideration, how useful do the group participants find the report – very useful, quite useful, not very useful, or not useful at all? And why?
  15. What suggestion do the group participants have for MfE, regarding the provision of annual updates on environmental progress?
  16. How would they most prefer to receive the update information?
  17. To what extent do the users of the report think the publication would have contributed to fulfilling the following objectives?  (The group participants will rate these on a scale ranging:  very well, quite well, not very well, not well at all).

    1. To provide useable and constructive information to foster informed decision-making on matters that affect the environment and encourage appropriate management approaches.
    2. To increase New Zealanders’ understanding about the state of, and pressures on, our environment.
    3. To motivate all New Zealanders to take action to protect and conserve the environment.
    4. To make environmental information the Ministry collects and holds accessible.
    5. To interpret environmental trend information, including the core set of environmental indicators, across a range of topics.
    6. To provide an update of key environmental issues.

  18. Other relevant points that may emerge in discussion with client and/or during the course of the focus groups.

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