Joining The Data

After splitting up into smaller work groups, my sub-group chose to work on conducting interviews with the public. We knew it would be important to interview members of the public to gain a better understanding of their existing knowledge about air pollution.

As a group we brainstormed ideas for our questionnaire as a group and wrote a short description to be signed by the participant which could inform them of the project's background and our motivations for conducting the interview.

We chose to include a mix of both open-ended questions which we hoped would allow for easy conversation, and more closed questions about participants knowledge of air pollution, their home heating habits, driving habits etc.

Our first two interviews resulted from talking to other students on campus. One participant knew a good deal about air pollution, while the other had very little knowledge about the subject. One team member interviewed the participant, while another took notes, and the final member photographed the interview.

After conducting these interviews we realised that we needed to also gain more insight into the attitudes and awareness levels of people living in rural areas, in regards to air quality. With this in mind we decided to make a trip to Edenderry, as it seemed to be one of the most accessible towns which was not included in the smoky coal ban. Edenderry was also an interesting location to visit as it is also home to a Bord na Móna power plant.

In Edenderry we found it difficult to talk to people and get them to agree to an interview as the weather was very poor at the time. In the end we managed to complete some long interviews with Edenderry residents. The overall consensus was that air pollution was not felt to be much of an issue in the area. Participants also didn't seem to have any issue with the power plant located near the town, or the traffic that is constantly moving through the main street. All interviewees felt that the air quality found in Edenderry is much better than air in Dublin. 

After returning to NCAD following this excursion we unpacked interview data, and revised the interview document to tailor the questions to a more urban population in order to prepare for the day of interviews which would take place the following Tuesday.