The Role of Consumer Surveys in Public Policy Decision Making

The authors present a six-stage model of the policymaking process and evaluate the extent to which survey research has played a role at each stage. The authors identify areas in which additional research would be helpful in the development and evaluation of public policymaking. In addition, the authors explore three case studies—patient package inserts, direct-to-consumer advertising, and environmental marketing guides—to illustrate the role consumer research has played and could have played in the policy-development process.