Blog: The future is curious

Blog by Eric Hildrew, David Hume Institute

23 February 2022

The past two years have brought changes to the David Hume Institute’s work in ways which could never have been predicted when Susan Murray joined as Director in 2019. Through the necessary shift away from in-person events and networking, we’ve significantly grown our online audience, and while the greater geographic reach made possible by the web has been a rewarding trend, we do miss seeing new and familiar faces in a (real) room together. As the light at the end of the Covid tunnel finally starts to shine a little brighter, we decided it was time to find out a bit more about our current audience and engage in a conversation about where the DHI should be heading next.

We approached social researchers  The Lines Between to undertake research with DHI audiences and stakeholders to find out more about who they are, how they think we’re doing, and where we might be best focusing our resources as Scotland emerges from the pandemic. Through a combination of survey responses and anonymised in-depth interviews, The Lines Between explored a range of questions relating to our work and brand.

Given our historical association with Edinburgh we weren’t surprised to find the majority of our audience is based in the city, however the ‘pandemic effect’ has been real – over half of those who started interacting with us in the last year live outside Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Overall, 10% of the DHI audience lives outside Scotland, spread across the UK from Glamorgan and Oxford, to York and London.

DHI engages with a wide spectrum of professionals, spanning the public, private and charity sectors. Many of our stakeholders are in senior positions, although we have a growing audience of younger professionals.

Positive perceptions of DHI include seeing us as dynamic, trusted, independent, and thoughtful, though a minority of our stakeholders feel we’re old-fashioned and stuffy (interestingly, these responses were from people who have not engaged with us recently). Open access events, original research and briefing papers were identified by our audience as their most valued elements of our work.

Some of our stakeholders feel we should be more actively political and provocative, while others feel we should direct our efforts towards improving the diversity and inclusion of our work and reach, particularly outwith Edinburgh and by engaging with younger professionals. In contrast, other stakeholders specifically value our impartiality and role as a trusted convener of divergent views. A minority of those surveyed felt the Institute should engage in a more public discussion about David Hume’s legacy and a small number felt our name should change as a result. 

Asking colleagues and constituents what they really think of you can be a daunting process but it’s a vital learning journey for any organisation which wants to inform strategy with meaningful data. We’ve been pleased and motivated to learn that the majority of our stakeholders value our work and respect the values we hold dear. 

There was clear feedback to do more to define our areas of strategic interest and our impact. We have to communicate better with our various audiences and we need to make a stronger case for the funding of our work to ensure our future sustainability. We are committed to an open conversation about the legacy of David Hume, recognising that views and perceptions may change over time and that ignoring contemporary concerns runs contrary to our values. The research indicates a clear direction of travel for DHI as a bridge and facilitator within the realm of economic and social policy, connecting a diverse range of people with evidence-led insight.

The DHI team and trustees have found this consultation exercise hugely informative. We are now committed to acting on the feedback we’ve received and are embarking on a strategic planning process which will shape our work in the months and years ahead as we all adapt to the post-pandemic landscape. We’re grateful for your support and constructive feedback, and look forward to you joining us on the exciting journey ahead.