Sustainable social change is needed to stop massive violence against women*. It will not happen without widespread changes in attitudes and behaviour and the support of many people. This requires information and knowledge as well as ideas for action and organised collective action. In community organising, action research through door-knocking is a key method for promoting this. It can play a role in steps 2, 3 and 4 (community assessment, organisation, action). 

A door-knocking survey is not representative, but it is meaningful. It is not external to a change process, but part of it. It is more about conversations than interviews, the respondent is approached as a potential ally, a citizen and neighbour with knowledge, skills and ideas. Action research by door-knocking is not a classic research method, where academics from outside the neighbourhood come (once), ask questions or make observations, and then evaluate and use them in the context of their academic subjects and careers. It belongs in the context of action research, which can be traced back to the social psychologist Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin, the aim of action research is to start from concrete problems and to promote direct social action to solve them. For “research that produces nothing but books is of no use to the individual” (Lewin 1948, p. 280). In other words: Action research is an approach to research that aims both to take action and to generate knowledge or theory about that action as it unfolds. It begins with everyday experience and is concerned with the development of living knowledge (Coghlin 2022). One of its characteristics is that the role of respondents and observers changes from passive objects to active subjects, including participation in the design and conduct of interviews, as well as involvement in evaluation and subsequent action, this is why nowadays the term participatory action research is commonly used. 

The organiser needs to be trained in this method. Learning how to conduct a door-knocking conversation is part of the StoP training that all professional StoP workers undergo. In terms of attitude, a 'research-based curiosity', an interest in other people, a certain amount of trust in them, some courage and the ability to approach others in an appreciative and open way are fundamental, as well as enjoying the conversation and being able to adapt to other people and settings.  This is also reflected in the use of open questions, even if the topic of the survey is confined to domestic violence against women as in the case of StoP. Based on the relevant literature (Lüttringhaus/Richers 2003), we developed the ‘StoP action research questionnaire’ (see ‘downloads’). 

The StoP organiser passes on his or her knowledge to the active citizens in the community groups. They practise in depth the door-knocking conversation with those from the Stop network who wish to participate, so that confidence develops and there is no need to read out the questions, but a more relaxed and as normal as possible discussion situation can develop.  Expectations (e.g. how many interviews, where?) as well as concerns should be discussed and reservations clarified. For example, one trainee said: 'I wouldn't open the door to anyone myself, it looks like a Jehovah's Witness or a fund-raiser'. Or there is anxiety about who and what to expect when the front door opens. Here it is helpful to practise role-playing and to create guidelines, e.g. by talking about warning signs and criteria for breaking off a conversation, e.g. if a neighbour only opens the door in his underwear, if I am afraid of dogs and the person I am talking to does not keep their dog on a leash, if I am met with aggression.  Guidelines for training and preparation are provided further down. However, barriers and sensitivities vary from person to person. Some things only become apparent in practice.  

The timing and duration of interviews depend on the area size and number of participants. Ideally, aim for 3–5% of the population, or 540–900 conversations from 18,000 residents. Interviews should last 15–30 minutes, with an average of 20 minutes. For 700 conversations, this totals about 234 hours, or 29 full 8-hour workdays. Since interviews will be conducted by the full-time organizer, trained members of StoP community groups, and other network members, the time will be distributed among several people. The more interviewers and conversations, the better, but interviewers must be well-trained in the approach. 

All people who live and work in the district, mainly young people and adults, as they are also addressed as potential activists. 

For more detailed information, please also see the links below. 

StoP door-knocking guideline, notepad, neighbourhood map, pens, stop flyers, giveaways, invitation to the presentation of the door-knocking results (public meeting)