• Highly applicable when a new proposal is mooted and little is known of community opinions.
• Can be used to develop a preliminary concept of the issues of concern, from which a wider community survey may be undertaken.
• Can be used for limited generalisations based on the information generated by the focus group.
• Particularly good for identifying the reasons behind people's likes/dislikes.
• Produces ideas that would not emerge from surveys/questionnaires, because the focus group allows opportunity for a wider range of comments.