M6 Survey
About the study
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and AECOM have been commissioned by National Highways, formerly known as Highways England, to carry out research with drivers on the M6.
The aim of the research is to better understand experiences of driving on roads in this area, including on sections of the M6 motorway. Findings from the research will be used to inform National Highways’ planning for the future.
Who is carrying out the research?
The research is being carried out by NatCen Social Research in partnership with AECOM on behalf of National Highways.
National Highways, formerly known as Highways England, manage England’s motorways and major A-roads.
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has been carrying out high quality social research for over 50 years. For this survey, NatCen is working in partnership with AECOM, a research organisation who specialise in transport research. NatCen interviewers will be present at a number of motorway services areas between September and October 2022 to ask drivers to complete the questionnaire.
What will taking part involve?
If you stop at a local Motorway Service Area, a NatCen interviewer may invite you to take part in this survey. You would be asked to complete a short paper-based questionnaire which would take about 10 minutes to complete.
The questionnaire covers your experiences and perceptions of confidence when driving on specific sections of the M6 Motorway and more generally. The interviewer may also ask a few questions about you - this is to ensure that we include different types of people in the research.
After you have completed the questionnaire, you will receive a £5 Love2Shop voucher as a thank you for taking part. This will be sent to you in the days after the survey either by email or in the post depending on your preference. The interviewer will explain this to you.
At the end of the questionnaire we will ask you if you are happy to be contacted about further research activities for this study. This may include participation in an interview or focus group or in user testing. If you provide your contact details this does not commit you to taking part in this research, should you be contacted.
Why have I been selected to take part?
National Highways are interested in hearing from drivers using particular sections of the M6 Motorway. You will have been approached because you were using the Motorway Service Areas on one of the days when interviewers were on site.
It is completely up to you if you decide to take part, as participation is voluntary. You can withdraw from the research at a future date by contacting NatCen for free on 0800 652 4572.
What will happen to any information I give?
We will treat the information you give us in the strictest confidence under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your survey responses will be anonymised for analysis and reporting. Your responses will be combined with those of all other respondents and used to produce a report for National Highways. No names or other personal details will be included in the report so it will not be possible to identify any individual in the report.
If you agreed to be re-contacted about future research on this topic, you may be contacted by NatCen or AECOM by email or telephone about participation. We will not share your contact details with any other third parties. Your personal details will not be held for any longer than is necessary and will be securely deleted once the research has been completed.
For further information on how your data will be collected and used please see our privacy notice.
Contact us
If you have any further questions or would like to withdraw from the research, you can contact NatCen for free on 0800 652 4572.