Perceived effectiveness of factors and intervention strategies for promoting evidence-based policymaking in Japan: a cross-sectional survey among policymakers, researchers and knowledge brokers.

backgroundEvidence-based policymaking (EBPM) improves the quality of decision-making and ensures that necessary policies reach the populations who need them. Although EBPM-promoting factors have been conceptually explored, interventions that comprehensively address these factors remain under-investigated. Through qualitative research, we previously identified 25 factors that promote EBPM. Thus, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the perceived effectiveness of factors that promote EBPM and (2) assess the perceived effectiveness of interventions designed to address these factors.

methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in Japan among three stakeholder groups: policymakers, researchers and knowledge brokers (KBs). Participants assessed the perceived effectiveness of the 25 factors and 75 corresponding intervention strategies. The mean scores were calculated for each factor, and the proportion of respondents who considered each intervention effective within its respective factor was determined.

resultsOf the 154 invited participants, 55 completed the survey, including policymakers (n = 15), researchers (n = 25) and KBs (n = 15). The highest-rated factor was "organizing and disseminating leverageable evidence and data" (mean = 4.53), which included the intervention "development of data infrastructure easily utilizable by researchers while ensuring personal information protection", selected as effective by 78.2% of the respondents. The second highest-rated factor was "enhancing the knowledge and skills of policymakers and researchers in policymaking processes, EBPM, and research" (mean = 4.37). Within this factor, two interventions shared the highest selection rate (72.3%): "establishment of an in-ministry training system enabling policymakers to acquire essential skills regardless of department" and "development and provision of EBPM-related educational content for professional organizations (academic societies) and policymakers".

conclusionsThis study identified the perceived effectiveness of 25 EBPM-promoting factors and 75 related interventions in the Japanese policymaking context on the basis of input from policymakers, researchers and KBs. These findings provide a foundation for the implementation of strategies by outlining practical interventions. The descriptive trends in perceived effectiveness across stakeholders suggest that implementation should reflect each group's priorities, roles and constraints. This study contributes to EBPM literature by systematically linking factors with interventions and demonstrating how stakeholder perspectives differ, thereby strengthening the basis for promoting EBPM in practice.