Sharing knowledge is the only way to solve problems and move forward together. For that reason, we are passionate about using our research expertise to inform and inspire sustainable practices. Recent public reports are listed below and you can also explore our sustainability case studies to find out about unpublished projects that clients have kindly given us permission to share.
MCS Foundation: Attitudes to becoming a heat pump trainer
The MCS Foundation commissioned Shift to run research aiming to understand the motivations and barriers associated with becoming a heat pump technician trainer, as well as investigating installers and trainers’ perceptions of the role.
Explore the public report or read our related case study.
The LEGO Group: circular economy and youth
The LEGO Group noticed an absence of youth voices and input to policies and discussions around regulating plastic pollution and developing circular economy frameworks. This mixed-methods research included qualitative interviews and surveys with young people across seven countries to harness young voices and find out what children know and feel about the circular economy.
Explore the public report and our related case study.
ReLondon: motivating young Londoners to recycle
ReLondon had previously identified 18- to 34-year-olds as the least likely age group to recycle in the capital. As part of the London Recycles campaign, ReLondon wanted to understand how to motivate this diverse group towards better recycling behaviours. Shift designed an innovative approach, including mobile ethnography and drawing on theories from behavioural science.
Explore the public report and our related case study.
TAG and EARTHDAY: climate action education
This project was developed as a partnership between teams at Shift Sustainability, Take Action Global (TAG) and EARHDAY.ORG to understand best practice in teaching sustainability. This mixed-methods study included in-depth interviews with climate educators and a global survey to understand their role around the world, including best practice, challenges and what else is needed to ensure effective climate education.
Explore the public report and our related case study.
Birmingham City Council: public health case studies
Birmingham City Council’s Public Health division was eager to hear how recent demographic changes captured in the 2021 census were impacting the health and wellbeing of Birmingham residents. Shift conducted interviews with a wide range of Birmingham residents to capture their insights and experiences, before creating anonymous case studies for use in public-facing documents, such as the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2023-24. You can also read our related case study.
World Afro Day
We have partnered with World Afro Day on a couple of research projects around diversity, equality and inclusion, which you can click to explore below:
Employer attitudes
This project sought to uncover and quantify employer attitudes towards Afro-textured and Afrocentric hairstyles in UK and US workplaces. A survey of 1000 decision-makers at various levels (including CEOs, line managers, HR officers and DEI specialists) was conducted. The research provided evidence of the severity and consequences of workplace hair discrimination, which informed World Afro Day’s public-facing report, including recommendations and calls for changes to address this discrimination. You can also read a summary in our case study.
Teaching diversity
As part of a wider thought leadership survey about sustainability in teaching, we asked UK educators about their confidence levels around DEI and how the Equality Act applies to teaching institutions’ policies. We specifically focused on Afro hair discrimination as a DE&I issue in teaching institutions, consulting with World Afro Day. You can explore the public report and our related case study.
Wellcome: research culture
Wellcome was launching an ambitious programme to improve research culture and commissioned Shift to conduct in-depth qualitative and quantitative research to support an inclusive and wide-reaching communications campaign. The approach required a high level of rigour, given the audience. This mixed-methods study included telephone interviews, four co-creation workshops and a quantitative survey.
Explore the public report and our related case study.
Open-access sustainability research
Aside from offering bespoke research designs to inform specific product, communication and business decisions, we conduct independent sustainability research to equip organisations with actionable data and insight. We give these insights freely to help organisations combat climate change and other environmental and social challenges.
Teaching: Diversity & Inclusion
How confident are UK educators in talking to students about topics like gender identity or race and ethnicity? Do they know how the Equality Act applies to teaching policies? Or is substantial training required to help educators navigate DE&I?
Teaching: Sustainability
Findings from our survey with over 500 UK educators in schools, further and higher education, exploring their attitudes to teaching sustainability and the support, training and resources they need to embed it in their teaching.
Clarity in crisis?
Have students become more aware of their environmental impact in the past year? Do they feel that COVID-19 restrictions have led them to behave more sustainably?
Feeling the strain
How do students feel their mental health was affected by the pandemic? How do they feel about their university’s pastoral care? How can universities help further?
Green Campuses
What sustainable action do students want from the higher education sector? Are they aware of their university’s green policies? Which universities are seen as sustainable?
Minds of the Future
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals are priorities for tomorrow’s decision-makers? What support for these goals do they want to see from universities?
Green Lies
Survey findings around perceptions of sustainability initiatives. What sort of initiatives do consumers consider impactful? What might be seen as ‘greenwashing’?
Talking the Talk
Investigating the gap between consumers’ sustainability perceptions and behaviour. Why are consumers inconsistent on sustainability? How can organisations help?
The X, Y and Z of Sustainability
Revealing cross-generational differences in consumer survey responses. How do sustainable perceptions and behaviours differ between Generations X, Y and Z?
A World of Worry
Examining the nature of eco-anxiety through consumer survey findings. How worried are consumers about the environment? Who is most worried? What are they doing about it?