Numerous reasons exist for involving consumers in research, falling mainly into three categories: moral/ethical,
methodological, and political. The moral and ethical reasons for involving
consumers in research centre on concepts of rights, citizenship and democracy, specifically related to publicly
funded research whereby the word ‘consumer’ is seen as a synonym for ‘taxpayer’. The methodological reasons focus on the potential benefits that consumer involvement may
have on the research process, including increasing its relevance, credibility, dissemination and transferability of
research findings. The political imperative is centred on current policy directives in addition to requirements
by research funding agencies, research governance organisations, and research ethics committees (RECs)
