Researching controversial and sensitive issues: using visual vignettes to explore farmers' attitudes towards the control of bovine tuberculosis in England

Naylor, Rhiannon, Maye, Damian ORCID: 0000-0002-4459-6630, Ilbery, Brian W, Enticott, Gareth and Kirwan, James ORCID: 0000-0002-4626-9940 (2014) Researching controversial and sensitive issues: using visual vignettes to explore farmers' attitudes towards the control of bovine tuberculosis in England. Area, 46 (3). pp. 285-293. doi:10.1111/area.12113

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Abstract

This paper addresses the potential difficulties associated with researching controversial and/or sensitive issues. Drawing on the findings from in-depth interviews with farmers, the paper provides a reflexive commentary on the use of visual vignettes to explore farmers’ attitudes towards the control of bovine tuberculosis in England - currently a highly controversial subject. Five short video clips were shown to interviewees to prompt discussions about different aspects of disease control, including methods to vaccinate and cull badgers. Visual vignettes have not been used widely outside the fields of health and social care. The method is used here to encourage interviewees to discuss sensitive issues related to badger control, including their trust in various stakeholders involved in the management of bovine tuberculosis, their own knowledge and understanding about disease control, and their attitudes towards control methods. The results suggest that visual vignettes have a number of advantages that could benefit research in human geography and the wider social sciences.

Item Type: Article
Article Type: Article
Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Naylor, Rhiannon and Maye, Damian and Ilbery, Brian W and Enticott, Gareth and Kirwan, James (2014) Researching controversial and sensitive issues: using visual vignettes to explore farmers' attitudes towards the control of bovine tuberculosis in England. Area, 46 (3). pp. 285-293., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/area.12113 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
Uncontrolled Keywords: England; bovine TB; badger culling; badger vaccination; visual vignettes; semi-structured interviews; controversial and/or sensitive issues; farmers’ attitudes
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S560 Farm Economics
S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions: Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Research Priority Areas: Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User: Eleanor Hawketts
Date Deposited: 19 Oct 2015 10:12
Last Modified: 04 Feb 2022 08:15
URI: https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/2714

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