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Introduction

Focus groups date back to the 1920s. They have been used primarily to test marketing strategies for products and as a tool for politicians to weigh public opinion on a given issue. More and more, however, social policy researchers are using focus groups to learn in depth about the impact of programs, often as a first step in a broader research effort.

This “how to” manual is designed for organizations that advocate for the needs of low-income families and children. It describes how focus groups of parents can be used as an effective research method by multi-issue or single-issue advocacy organizations to address such concerns as affordable housing, health care, child care, or nutrition.

Focus groups can:

• enable advocacy groups to fashion an agenda that accurately reflects the concerns of the population they seek to represent;
• act as a springboard for advocates to engage more parents in their work;
• increase the credibility of advocates by bringing parents’ voices into the policy debate;
• provide personal stories to supplement data in order to influence policy makers effectively; and
• inform the design of further research on a given topic.

This manual provides an overview of focus group methodology. It also discusses particular issues involved in conducting focus groups of low- income parents. The information is based on recent experience conducting parent focus groups in three states: Connecticut, Maine and Virginia (where we collaborated with the Action Alliance for Virginia’s Children and Youth, a statewide child advocacy organization). Some of these focus groups involved low-income parents in general and addressed child care and child health insurance issues. Others were with low-income parents of children with special needs and focused on access to child care and balancing work and family. We hope the manual will be useful, regardless of the subject matter of your inquiry.

In writing this manual we tried to prepare readers for any contingency which might arise as they progress from the initial planning stage to the final tasks of analyzing data and writing reports. Accordingly we include a great deal of detail so you can use the manual as a step-by-step reference. We designed the manual so that you can insert it into a three-ring binder that can also accommodate other written materials specific to your project.

Chapters are organized in the order of the tasks that need to be completed and include examples drawn from the focus group projects we recently conducted. In addition, appendices present sample focus group tools and checklists.

Lastly, a note of caution. By their nature, focus group projects are unpredictable, and your approach will vary from what we describe depending on the population you are studying, the subject matter of your inquiry, and the resources you have available. You may choose not to follow the exact steps we outline, or you may need to complete additional tasks. There may be times, however, when you will be tempted to cut corners in order to speed up the research or save on resources. Resist that temptation if doing so will compromise the soundness of your methodology and expose your findings to criticism. If you apply the basic principles of proper focus group methodology (described in the next chapter) to all your decisions, the credibility of your results will not be undermined.

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