Brief project description: Systematic review of qualitative data on views and perceptions of research evidence among local-level policy-makers and practitioners in sectors related to the built environment.

Rationale: Decisions made in many different policy sectors may have important impacts on population health outcomes. This is particularly true of sectors relating to the built environment, such as transport, housing and urban planning. While considerable research has been done on evidence use in healthcare and public health, cultures of evidence in these other sectors are much less well understood, and may be very different to those in health-related fields. There is a need to understand how decision-makers understand evidence in their own terms, as well as what factors influence their use of research evidence.

Aims: To synthesize published qualitative literature on views and perceptions of research evidence among local-level policy-makers and practitioners in the following fields: transport, housing, urban planning and regeneration, crime and policing, or licensing.

Methodology: Systematic review of qualitative evidence. Studies will be included if: they include local policy-makers or practitioners in transport, housing, urban planning and regeneration, crime and policing, or licensing; and report substantive data on views, beliefs or experiences regarding research evidence.

Timeframe: June 2012 – September 2013

Protocol: Review & Synthesis, Cultures of Evidence – Protocol (July 2013)

Anticipated outputs: One peer-reviewed journal article