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Having worked in market research, I know that we also mustn't disregard the impact of the actual question that respondents were asked.

According to the print version of Retail Week, ICM asked consumers "How interested would you be in taking an active role in rejuvenating your local high street?" To me, this is a rather peculiar question that's open to all kinds of interpretation. Does it mean shopping at the high street more often? Running a market stall? Helping in a litter pick? Joining a Town Team?

Unless respondents were given some explanation of what 'taking an active role' means, I wouldn't wish to draw too much of a conclusion from the findings. A more meaningful survey would be to suggest specific 'active roles' (however defined) to the respondents, and to get their reaction to those on a case-by-case basis.

That way, we might have a clearer basis for understanding whether Britain's shoppers truly care about the future of their high streets or not.