Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 62850 on Public Opinion, in which locations the focus groups delivered by C M Monitor (Britain Thinks) took place.

BritainThinks have run focus groups for the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) since 2020 on a range of topics such as algorithmic transparency, AI governance and smart data. The focus groups are one of a range of methodologies used by the CDEI to inform a trustworthy approach to AI and data governance.

All focus groups to date have taken place online, initially due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to deliver groups online to enable engagement with diverse groups of participants from all four nations of the UK.

To ensure these focus groups are representative across the entire population, we have also ensured a mix of demographics such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background and digital literacy. Participants with the lowest digital familiarity are typically interviewed via telephone.

For certain focus groups, we have also recruited participants with relevant experiences. For example, in focus groups held to inform the UK's public sector algorithmic transparency standard, developed by the CDEI alongside the Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office, we focused on recruiting participants with recent experience of scenarios where algorithms could be used to inform decision-making.

Further information about the CDEI’s approach to public engagement can be found here.