market research report

NUS Services Research Team

January 2012

RGU: Union - Research to understand impact

of a planned presence on Garthdee campus

Insert picture/chart

Title

• Executive Summary

• Objectives

• Methodology and Sample

• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Executive Summary – Methodology

• Online survey conducted December 2011.

• 669 responses received

• A representative sample of students at RGU:Union

• In person focus groups conducted December 2011

• 16 representative respondents

• Research was conducted to gain an understanding of the

impact of the moving to the Garthdee campus and

understand the vision of the future students‟ union

• Current perceptions of RGU:Union hinge on use of commercial services

• Despite frequent use of RGU:Union services, under a third of respondents

are aware of their own membership of the students‟ association

• Students are overwhelmingly satisfied with the services that RGU:Union

provide, where they are used.

• Whilst a half of respondents respond negatively to the move, the

identification of RGU:Union as a commercial and social space drives

confusion over the role and purpose of membership services

• When prompted, the majority of students believe the vision for membership

services at Garthdee to be appropriate and inclusive

• The vast majority of students are supportive of the opportunity for novel or

redeveloped membership development services at Garthdee and

conceptualise the space as an opportunity to support and enrich day to day

academic experience

• There is a need to communicate a supportive travel plan

Executive Summary – Findings

• A phased implementation of new and re-launched membership

services will drive support of the new function at Garthdee campus

• Launch of some services prior to relocation will support the

change management in students understanding of RGU:Union

• Feedback on RGU:Union successes and benefits via a widely

launched benefit statement will develop the membership services

landscape

• Strong engagement with the institutions‟ travel plan will demonstrate

consideration and action of student concerns

• A considered communications plan, placing the student at the heart

of the change is necessary to engender loyalty prior to move to

Garthdee in order to support early adoption of membership services

amongst historically disengaged students.

Executive Summary - Recommendations


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Research Objectives

Overall Objective

• To inform the operational plan in relocating RGU:Union to the

Garthdee campus

Research Objectives

• Understand the usage of the student‟s union

• Gain insight into reactions to the changes and the strengths /

opportunities

for development within the changes proposed in the relocation plan.

• Understand impact of move on usage and engagement

• What are the unmet needs within the relocation plan?

• How do students envisage the future of the students‟ union, in their

own words and what membership service does this entail?


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Methodology and Sample

• Quantitative online survey:

– Demographics

– Existing perceptions of RGU:Union

– Existing usage of RGU:Union

– Reactions to move to Garthdee campus

– Vision for a vibrant Garthdee campus

Surv

ey F

low


Demographics

Existing Perceptions of RGU:Union

Existing Usage of RGU:Union

Sex, Age, Region, Year of study and place of study.

Distance of home from university, mode of travel for holiday periods.

Frequency of visits to the students‟ union, awareness of commercial advertising in their union.

Quant


Reactions to the move to Garthdee campus

Vision for a vibrant Garthdee campus

Use of the train in the last 6 months, responsibility for payment of fares, awareness and usage of competitor websites.

Awareness and likelihood to consider using competitor websites, ways used to book tickets for specific types of journeys, likelihood of using a dedicated mobile app.

Quant


• Survey sample:

– Balanced sample

– Total response 669 students

– A representative mix of gender (62% Female, 38% Male)*

– 70% described themselves as UK citizens studying in the UK

• Reflective mix of Year groups

1st Year

UG

2nd Year

UG

3rd Year

UG

4th Year

UG

PG -

Masters

PG -

Doctorate

19%

(n=127)

18%

(n=119)

16%

(n=107)

19%

(n=124)

21%

(n=137)

3%

(n=21)

Q10. What year of your current course are you in? (n=653)

* HESA statistics for 2009/2010 show 56.6% of students in HE are female

Quant


• Qualitative focus group discussion guide:

– Introduction

– The RGU: Union story - Usage and Awareness of RGU:Union



Dis

cu

ssio

n F

low


Pre screener

Introduction

The RGU: Union Story

Sex, Age, Year of study and existing involvement with RGU:Union

Icebreaker to encourage fluent discussion

Spontaneous history of awareness and usage of the association, prompts on experiences, attitudes and perceptions

Qual


Reactions to the move to Garthdee campus

Vision for a vibrant Garthdee campus

Strengths of plan, Weaknesses of plan, Impact of move on self and others, anticipated impact on engagement

Unmet needs within plan, description of the “land of RGU: Union” on Garthdee campus, closing remarks

Qual


• Survey sample:

– Total 16 students

– A representative mix of gender (56%, n=9 Female, 44%, n=7 Male)

– 62% (n=10) described themselves as UK citizens studying in the UK

– 50% (n=8) did not self identify as members of RGU:Union clubs, societies or sports teams

– 62% (n=10) undergraduate students, 38% (n=6)

post graduate students

Qual


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

ContentsResults

– Demographics

– Existing perceptions of RGU:Union

– Existing usage of RGU:Union



Results combine qual and quant research techniques;

the research source is denoted at the top of each slide

Title

Let me introduce you - Demographics

A youthful group….

• Over half (52%) of respondents are aged 16-24 years

Q3 What was your age on the 1st December 2011?

1.7%

28.5%

22.5%

9.3%8.6%

3.5%

0.2%0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

16-17 years 18-20 years 21-24 years 25-29 years 30-40 years 41-54 years 55-64 years

Age? (n=666)

Quant

Gender Representation….

• Representation of both genders

– Note that HESA stats show that 57% of students in Higher

Education are female

Q3 What was your age on the 1st December 2011?

Quant

Over two thirds identify as White:British or White:Irish….

Q4 To which of the following ethnic groups do you belong?

Quant

Variety in living circumstance….

• Almost half of respondents live in privately let

accommodation

Q7 Where do you live during university term time?

Quant

International representation….

• 30% of respondents are from overseas

Q8 For the purposes of your tuition fees and funding, which of these statements best describes you?

70.0%

18.1%

11.9%

For the purposes of your tuition fees and funding, which of these statements best describes you?

I am a UK citizen studying in the UK

I am an EU citizen studying in the UK

I am a non-EU citizen studying in the UK

Quant

Excellent representation of year groups….

Q10 Which year of your current course are you in?

Quant

Representation across faculties….

Q11 Which faculty are you studying at?

Quant

Title

Existing perceptions of RGU:Union

Opportunity to use relocation to increase awareness of

membership of RGU:Union

Q12 Are you a member of RGU:Union

• With only 30% of respondents aware of their membership of RGU:Union,

the relocation plan offers an opportunity to clarify universal membership and

position itself as integral to the student experience

Quant

Awareness of the breadth of function of RGU:Union is

weak

• Respondents cite a common lack of knowledge as to what the union is able

to provide (n=4), citing that usage would increase with greater

understanding of breadth of function

• Note that even those who engage through societies and sports teams

(n=8) consistently demonstrate gaps in their knowledge of the wider

function of RGU:Union

• Awareness of RGU:Union was typically

restricted on word association to:

• Clubs and societies

• Sports team

• Commercial outlets

• Social events

• However a minority (n=3) did cite it as a place for welfare / support

Qual

“If we know more about the Students’

Union then we might be able to make use

of it more. Once a year they send an

email around telling you about an election

and about who wants to do what. You

don’t want to vote though because you

don’t know what they do” (F, Third year

part-time MSc in Computer Science)

Two fifths of respondents visit RGU:Union at least

once a fortnight

Q13 How often, if at all, do you visit RGU:Union ?

• Opportunity to engage the two fifths who visit the union “never” or “Just

once or twice during my time at university”

Quant

Awareness of the values of RGU:Union is confused

• Respondents perceive the values of RGU union in different ways

• Segmentation of respondents according to engagement with RGU:Union

indicated that:

• Those with no engagement understand RGU:Union as offering a

social space

• Those engaging with membership development services only see

RGU:Union as a facility for student support

• Those engaging with clubs and societies and / or sports teams,

report a complex relationship with the union in the need for additional

resourcing for societies in terms of physical equipment and committee

support

• Those using RGU:Union for both membership services and

societies cite RGU:Union as a place where students can „belong‟

Qual

“I think it’s really important.. It’s good to

know that you have somewhere to meet

up with people for group meetings, or

whatever else. We’d be lost without it. We

don’t have an area like that other than the

Union”. (F Second Year Pharmacy)

A lack of awareness of the remit of RGU:Union

depresses use

Q14 Which, if any, of the following reasons describe why you have not visited RGU:Union n?

• Lack of use is driven by poor awareness rather than negative experience

• Please see following slide for „other‟

Quant

Distance learners are less likely to visit RGU:Union

Q14 Which, if any, of the following reasons describe why you have not visited RGU:Union n?

• Unsurprisingly the most common prompted reason for not attending

RGU:Union is as part of a distance learning course

• Note that larger words represent more frequent mention

Quant

Agreement that RGU:Union enriches the student experience

Q19 To what extent, if at all, do you agree with the following statements?

• A lack of clarity on the purpose of RGU:Union drives weak agreement with

statements, however half agree that RGU:Union enriches the individual

experience at university and improves the university on the individual‟s behalf

• A student facing benefits statement is likely to improve awareness of impact of

RGU:Union

Quant

Title

Existing usage of RGU:Union

Commercial and recreational functions are well known;

membership development functions will benefit from

repositioning on move to Garthdee

Q15 Which, if any, of the following functions have you heard of?

• Respondents associate the Union with the Bar, clubs and societies, but this

result indicates that very few know of the Student Representative Support

Quant

Social and recreational aspects of RGU:Union are better

used than membership development services

• Respondents universally report awareness of the social aspect of

RGU:Union through use of the bar and café

• Societies and clubs run a close second in awareness

• And there is some confusion over whether the sports teams are

independent of RGU:Union

Qual

Spontaneous

• Membership services are recalled with prompting, however their delivery is

unclear

Prompted

“I’d rather go to InfoZone on St. Andrews Street.

InfoZone has something like student services, and I’d go

to them rather than to the Union. If I have any issues I’d

go to InfoZone straight away. I wouldn’t even think about

coming to the Union”. (M, PhD in the School of Pharmacy

in my first year)

Consistent with awareness, membership development will

benefit from a relaunch upon move to Garthdee

Q16 Which, if any, of the following functions have you used?

• Usage of RGU:Union services strongly correlates with the awareness at

Q15, indicating real potential for strong growth in membership development

Quant

With commercial functions most widely used, the move

to Garthdee offers potential to engage the 25% with no

existing preconceptions of RGU:Union

Q17 Which, if any, of the following functions do you use most frequently?

Quant

Extremely high satisfaction with RGU:Union services,

however opportunity to increase top end satisfaction

Q18 How satisfied, if at all, were you with each of the following services that you used?

• Usage of RGU:Union services strongly correlates with the awareness at

Q15, indicating real potential for strong growth in membership development

Quant

Title

Reactions to move to Garthdee Campus

Mixed reactions to relocation plan however no dispute of

the function of RGU:Union

• Whilst responses to a relocation was mixed, all respondents (n=16)

spontaneously made the case that a students‟ association was essential to

their student experiences

Qual

““The Union is the symbol for our university

life. Even the students at Aberdeen know that

the Union is for us, and it’s ours. If someone

says they are going to the Union then they are

going here, not to some other university. It

might miss the point of student association in

general, but it’s still a symbol for us, for

student social life”. (M third year

undergraduate in Applied Social Sciences,

member of clubs)

In the first instance, almost half of responses to the

relocation plan are negative

Q20 Please tell us whether your reaction to the relocation of

RGU:Union to the Garthdee campus is positive or negative

• However, the limited current engagement drives uncertainty or neutrality

amongst almost 30% or respondents, indicative of potential to re-engage

historically disengaged students

Quant

Negativity surrounding move hinges on preconceptions of

RGU:Union as a commercial hub

Q21 – please tell us, in your own words, why you have selected the

answer to your previous question

Positive

Neutral

Negative

The proximity of services to lectures is attractive to many

Typically driven by those who will not be present at RGU in 2013

Negative responses hinge on preconception of RGU:Union as a commercial hub for „pre drinks‟

Concerns around transport need to be met in communications surrounding the move, with many respondents anxious that representation will not be possible without a commute to Garthdee

“Should be finished

my course by then,

so not really

bothered”

“There is nothing to do in Garthdee and most

people live in the City Centre so I feel

evenings/weekends at the Union would be dead.”

“The union will be closer

to where all the students

are and I think people

would perhaps go to the

union more because it is

on campus.”

Quant

Change management planning is necessary to dissociate

RGU:Union from commercial / social connotations

• Whilst over half of respondents (n=10) stated a negative response to the

relocation of RGU:Union to Garthdee, this was in many cases a reaction to

being able to dissociate the commercial / social value of the current

students‟ association building

• The remaining strong negativity hinged on concerns over the travel

arrangements to Garthdee with specific concerns regarding:

• Length of journey

• Cost of transport

• Frequency of public transport

• Overcrowding on public transport

• Lack of understanding of institution responsibility for relocation

Qual

“People will go into town, and not out to Garthdee –

they will be at a loss of income (n=5)

The cohesiveness and accessibility of a Garthdee location

drives the strengths of the move

Qual

StrengthsWeaknesses

• Convenience

• Proximity to lectures

• Integration of academic and

non academic function

• Greater welfare

opportunities

• Opportunity to increase

student identity with

RGU:Union

• Travel to Garthdee if not

there for lectures

• Lack of commercial

structure

• Confusion over purpose of

membership services

• Cost of transport

““Aberdeen University dropped their city centre

Union. They’ve got a Union on their Hill Head

campus, which is a bit like Rosemount Hill. The

turnover there isn’t that big. The people don’t really

like it” (F, PhD Pharmacist, SW)

Cohesive agreement that membership development will

benefit from the relocation to Garthdee

Q22, please tell us to what extent, if at all, you agree that these services should

be based at Garthdee

• Given a context of low engagement with membership development services

(see section on usage), there is consistent agreement that the Garthdee

location is highly appropriate, supporting the proposed vision for relocation

Quant

The move to Garthdee will directly impact over half of

respondents, however emphatic positioning work is needed

to encourage early adoption of membership services

Q23 Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the statements

below

Quant

Personal impact on students revolves around loss of a

socialising venue and transport difficulties

• Qualitatively, respondents struggled to vocalise positive benefits to the

move

• The plans are felt to impact a variety of audiences, with many respondents

voicing vocal concern over the loss of a venue to socialise in

• Many felt that the students who were obliged to attend fewest lectures

would be affected the most, through lack of proximity to RGU:Union as a

result of many living in private lets in the city centre

• However the greatest impact on students was stated to be the commute

from Aberdeen centre, with almost all students (n=15) citing this to be a

major factor to an aspirational demographic , typically choosing to live in a

vibrant city centre

Qual

Very strong agreement that the relocation of

membership services will have no negative impact

Q24 Please tell us to what extent,, if at all, you agree that these services should

be based at Garthdee

Quant

The proportion of respondents who are more likely to

engage at Garthdee outweigh those who are less likely in

every instance – net positive gain

Q25 Which, if any, of the RGU:Union functions would you be likely to engage

with?

Quant

Respondents begin to visualise benefits to relocation

when discussing their anticipated personal engagement

with RGU:Union at Garthdee

• Membership services are not front of mind when considering RGU:Union,

however half of respondents (n=8) recognise that a Garthdee presence

could drive personal use of membership services and societies

• However, there are some concerns over safety if RGU:Union is used after

lectures on the Garthdee campus

Qual

““I would probably use the things more. You don’t really have an

excuse. If it’s a Wednesday and you’ve finished your lectures

then it’s going to be a five minute walk and you don’t have an

excuse. I’d probably do a lot more society stuff”. (M, First Year

Accounting and Finance,)

Title

Vision for a vibrant RGU:Union

Operationally, a clear communications plan, with explicit

description of the vision for RGU:Union will support

realignment of perceptions of RGU:Union

• With transport driving the majority of concerns regarding the relocation, the

institution's transport plan should form an integral part of communication

plans

• Furthermore, support on accommodation choices is requested by a

minority, to ensure that those who choose to live closer to Garthdee are not

doing so at any compromise to their safety

• Clear description of infrastructure to be communicated to all students, and

future students.

Qual

Strong demand for many novel membership services at

Garthdee campus with little or no antipathy to

suggested services

Q27 Please tell us to what extent, if at all, you would like to see each service

below on the Garthdee campus

Quant

The land of RGU:Union at Garthdee

Qual

Focus group outputs

The land of

RGU:Union

(spontaneous)

Heterogeneous. A „mish-mash‟ – rather than all being

segregated by institutions, all faculties will be together

(n=3)

What does it

look like?

“Modern” (n=4), “Airy” (n=1), “A lot of windows and high

ceilings” (n=1), “comfortable” (n=1), Busier in the day /

between classes (n=2)

Who? “Everyone” (n=16), “Guest speakers” (n=2)

What are they

doing?

Interacting between lecture (n=5), meetings (n=1), informal

socialising / common room (n=3)

What are they

thinking?

“Chilled”, “at ease” or relaxed (n=3), planning for future

lectures (n=3), “happy” (n=2)

Feedback to union focuses on a reluctance to accept

planned changes

• Transport (n=5): Subsidised bus links to the city centre

• Consultation: “Ask students when and what they are going to use the

Union for. Research with the students” (n=2)

• Accommodation (n=3): Queries surround finding alternatives to halls if the

commute from the city centre is undesirable (n=2)

• Student community: Use the relocation to build a student village, not a

campus

• Commercial outlets: Requests for cafes (n=2)

Qual

If you could feedback just one thing about the future plans for RGU:

Union to the students’ association, what would it be?


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Conclusions – Perceptions of RGU:Union (1)

• Knowledge of membership is just under one third of respondents, with

a similar number stating that they are not members and two fifths

unclear of their status

•This is juxtaposed by the 40% who visit RGU:Union at least once a

fortnight; members are using their facilities without recognising their

role in the membership

• The union is seen as a place to socialise and engage in activities,

indicative of the need to reposition upon the move to Garthdee, in order

to reshape the student identification with the union

Conclusions – Perceptions of RGU:Union (2)

• The confusion in the remit of RGU:Union drives segmentation of

perceptions

•The majority perceive a social / recreational space

•Those in societies expect organisational support

•And those aware of membership services identify RGU:Union as a

place for student support

•Almost one quarter of the students who do not visit the union are

unaware of what it offers

• However, these are frequently distance learners

•Identification with the union mission is relatively weak, however, only a

very small minority of respondents criticise the work of RGU:Union

Conclusions – Awareness and Usage of RGU:Union

• A need exists to shift perceptions of the union. Awareness of the bar,

shop, café and societies is very high, and usage is proportional to this.

• Where services are used, satisfaction is extremely high, however

greater top end satisfaction with all services will engender greater

loyalty with RGU:Union, which will support in the move to Garthdee

Conclusions – Reactions to relocation plans (1)

• To baseline reactions, conclusions should be underpinned by the very

strong expectation and demand for the existence of RGU:Union. The

relocation plans do not throw the value of the students‟ association into

question.

• 48% of respondents respond negativley to the proposed move, however

this is placed in context with the current perceptions, expectation and

relationship with RGU:Union – as a social / recreational hub

• Note that 46% of respondents are positive or neutral about the move

•The dissociation with commercial services and increased onus and

investment into membership development will support the change

management and conceptual shift which is needed in managing the move

to Garthdee


• Respondents are positive about the accessibility of membership services,

particularly for day to day opportunities for support

• Transport, lack of commercial services and a lack of awareness of

membership services drive a hesitance to accept the move to Garthdee

• Seven out of ten respondents agree that membership services based at

Garthdee will be highly appropriate to the situation


• Early adoption at Garthdee will benefit from a personal approach, putting

the individual in the centre of the move

• For example, try new things, visit us more often, etc

•The proportion of those less likely to engage with membership services

after the move is consistently outweighed by those who are more likely to

engage

• No consideration of snowballing effect

Conclusions – vision for a vibrant RGU:Union

• Students are excited by the opportunity to try new things, with over

half keen for:

• New student media

• Greater recreational opportunity

• Information on volunteering abroad

•Student harbour a vision for a student centric space to support and

enrich the environment for academic and personal gain.


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Recommendations – Current recommendations

• Plans for current and future students at RGU:Union should consider

distance learners in order to drive support of and engagement with

initiatives

• A student facing benefits statement will increase awareness of

breadth of function, prior to the move to Garthdee

• Investment into awareness of membership development functions

prior to the move will support the change of identification of

RGU:Union function amongst members

• Periodic satisfaction „temperature checks‟ will measure the increase

in satisfaction and generation of loyalty over time

Recommendations – future strategy

• The development of the plan for membership services should be

shaped by the members and commence, in part, prior to the

relocation. This will demonstrate the wider benefit of RGU:Union to

members and support the change management in the conceptual

shift of function.

• Perceptions of RGU:Union‟s relationship with the institution is good.

Strong engagement with the intuitions travel plan will generate

goodwill and demonstrate action in representation of student

concerns

• The relocation should be heralded by a strong communications

campaign, supported by launch events for new initiatives


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


• Objectives


• Results

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents


Title


• Objectives


• Title

• Conclusions

• Recommendations

• Appendices

Contents

Appendix

market research report

Documents

union services

union research

purpose of membership

students association

union hinge

union successes

union feedback

students union gain