Durham University has achieved one of the highest recorded response rates for a large-scale scientific survey, potentially revolutionising data collection in policy-making fields.
Led by Professor Peter Vickers, the June 2023 survey spanned 30 institutions across 12 countries, engaging over 20,000 scientists and receiving responses from 6,807 participants – an impressive 33.9% response rate. Among physicists, biologists, and earth scientists, the response rate soared to 55% at certain institutions.
The survey featured a concise 10-second questionnaire addressing COVID-19 causation, showcasing a scalable, rapid methodology for assessing global scientific consensus. A subsequent survey at Argentina’s CONICET reported near-unanimous agreement, reinforcing the method’s success.
Durham’s approach has since expanded to include over 50,000 scientists across 80 institutions worldwide. Professor Vickers remarked, “Humanity has never before had access to global scientific community opinions in real time. I’m excited to see where this leads.”
This pioneering methodology paves the way for quicker, more robust insights into the scientific consensus on pressing global issues.
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