Background
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act came into force in 2006 and Bòrd na Gàidhlig was established as a public body with responsibility for the preservation of Gaelic as an official language. A target was set to increase the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland by 2041.
One of the key routes adopted by Bòrd na Gàidhlig was to promote Gaelic in Scotland through a new communications strategy aimed at changing existing perceptions of Gaelic.
The Brief
As part of the development of this new strategy, Progressive worked with Red Cell to inform the development of a new website promoting Gaelic language and culture. While the research was primarily undertaken to gather feedback on the design of the website and evaluate its related communications campaign, a considerable part of the methodology was devoted to consulting key stakeholder groups to ensure maximum input of opinions. This included gathering opinions on ways in which Gaelic could be promoted in Scotland and on how to engage with current Gaelic speakers.
Our Research Approach
A series of 14 focus group discussions were conducted throughout Scotland, in both Gaelic speaking and non-speaking areas. This included a combination of urban and rural areas and several of the Scottish Islands. The groups also covered all age groups and consulted both Gaelic speakers of varying aptitudes and non-speakers.
This was supported by telephone depth interviews and an online survey with key stakeholders within the Gaelic community.
The Output
The research identified a set of nine typologies based on an individual's level of engagement with the language, as well as their potential to become more involved in future. This was then developed to identify several key target audiences, highlighting their motivations and barriers to become more engaged with Gaelic and their views on the website concepts.
The findings were used to take forward the website development and inform the strategy for Gaelic language promotion in Scotland.