I’m very proud to launch Yasper’s new INSIGHTS section with not one, but three, new insight reports. Strategic comms is all about data, and we’ve developed our first three reports in order to provide guidance, advice and support for our customers and the sectors we work in.
Devolution is a hot topic in our home county of Yorkshire, as well as the wider levelling-up agenda being of crucial importance to our clients further afield. That’s why we’ve called our first insight report: The State of Devolution.
Not only did we want to look at what was happening in the areas that already enjoyed devolved powers, but we also wanted to see what we could learn for new mayoralties. With a general election on the horizon, we felt that by polling 2,000 people, we could help provide some insight into the opportunities for improvement and what to look out for in the future.
Acting from a position of insight is vitally important to any business. And when you commission any polling, you can often fall into the trap of predicting what you think the outcomes will be.
In the case of this poll, the results were a huge surprise to me. As I poured over datasets on the train down to visit a client in London, I was struck by the depth of the findings and what they pointed to. I’m aware that the results won’t convince everyone – and indeed, in the insight report itself I urge a degree of caution – but it does prove one thing: we must listen to public opinion, when developing policy.
Compiling these reports has been a huge team effort. Special mentions must go to James G from Censuswide and his expert team for their professionalism; James W for his work on an ever-expanding brief and getting the look and feel of the design just right; James M (yes, at this point I am very conscious of all the James’) for proofing thousands of words of copy; Katie P for the design and tech integration on Yasper’s website; and the team at Umpf for their invaluable help, guidance and support. Bringing together the right team for the job is a skill in its own right, and I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve delivered collectively for Yasper.
Finally, I’d also like to thank the two leading candidates for North Yorkshire Mayor, for supporting what I hope will be am extremely useful resource.
The State of Devolution can be downloaded here. The result drilling down into the finer details of numbers, facts, figures and analysis for each of the Tees Valley and West Yorkshire areas can be found on our insights page here.
I’d like to reiterate that Yasper is an apolitical entity, and the highest standards of professionalism have been employed throughout the process. For more information, please email: hello@yasper.agency