Our decision making research
The Future Foundation’s decision style research is based upon the principle that there are four key aspects that determine people’s decision making:
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Engage - level of participation in society
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Learn - methods for information gathering and processing
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Communicate - media for information sharing
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Conclude - processes for making choices
An initial sample of 1,500 consumers was surveyed to test the feasibility of the research. This was followed by a representative sample of a further 1,000 consumers being interviewed in depth about their decision making. Each respondent was asked a series of questions on each of the above dimensions.
For example in the "Learning" dimension respondents were asked:
Thinking about the information you gather and process prior to making purchases or lifestyle choices, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following:
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There's no such thing as too much information
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I mostly act on instinct in an emotional rather than rational way
The results of the research identify six decision making styles within the UK population.