North Somerset Residents Survey 2014 Report to the council Executive

1. North Somerset Residents Survey 2014Report to the council Executive January 2015

2. Background • Biennial overview of public opinion and behaviour about council services • This survey conducted 2 September to 30 October 2014, online and via post • 1,472 responses (50% response rate) • Cost £9k • Representative of adult population (light on 18-35 age group, mainly corrected at weighting) • Max margin of error at ±2.5% • Comparison data= equivalent BVPI General/Place Surveys 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008. And North Somerset residents Survey 2012.

3. Summary (1) Council strategic aims Mainly high-or-moderate. And stable-or-increased…‘approval’ of council performance on most key aims except… Not widely seen as promoting economic development Notably, perceptions of ‘value for money’ have continued to improve. Main ‘universal’ D&E/street-scene Mainly high and increased satisfaction on many services, except… Condition of roads = low satisfaction and slightly down Litter = fairly high satisfaction but slightly down Main D&E ‘elective’ services (libraries etc) Use of services mainly increased slightly Satisfaction among users increased, or steady at high levels

4. Summary (2) Children Satisfaction with education, high and increased Leisure activities for 0-10s moderate, and increased Leisure activities for teens low but increased Children’s centres: increased use, very high (and increased satisfaction) Anti-social behaviour Recent trend of improvement continues Slightly worsened litter score

5. Summary (3) Information As per ONS, near-universal digital access. Over 75s and disabled levels are still high. Online ‘abilities’ very high but do drop off over 75 and among disabled NSL audience size marginally down in 2014 Strong NSL effect Fairly strong demand for e-information: complimentary profile with NSL Informed-ness on priorities mainly modest or low, but some increases Contact 60% of adults contact us annually Phone still dominant, web not visibly increasing (yet) Very wide range of types of contact by all channels Satisfaction with handling fairly high, varies by medium and reason for contact

6. Council strategic aims • Stabilised in past few years, at higher than ‘noughties’ level

7. Council strategic aims • VfM figure continues to improve • ‘Tend to disagree’s ‘migrated more to ‘tend to agree’

8. Council strategic aims • Minor fluctuations except improvement on bottom item • Less likely to agree, complex patterns, generally= 45-59s, self-employed, home makers, WsM, Clevedon, more deprived wards and no car

9. ‘Universal’ services • Improved a bit: kerbside waste services, condition of pavements • Down a bit: residential street cleanliness and road condition

10. ‘General’ services • Satisfaction among users, mainly up 2012-2014. • More clearly up over longer term, especially with local buses

11. Kerbside waste services • Jump in satisfaction 2006 to 2012 • Stable at high levels since then • More than 50% ‘very satisfied’, in all 3 services • Satisfaction higher among weekly users – generally increases with frequency of use

12. CYPS - parents • Many ‘don’t know’s. Among those parents who can assess it, satisfaction has increased a bit since 2012, with a clear increase for ‘leisure for teens’

13. CYPS - parents • 30% of parents had used a children’s centre (CC) in the previous 12 months (up from 25% in 2012) • Increase in use clearest among PT employed • Chart below: satisfaction with CCs also up

14. Social care • 15% of respondents said they ‘or a close family member have used social care services in North Somerset in the past 5 years’ • This rate is higher among carers (34%),those with no car (27%), disabled (26%), 75+ (23%)and single-person households (20%). • Of those who had used (or a close family member had used) social services… • …and gave a substantive answer… • …75% are very or fairly satisfied, versus 25% very or fairly dissatisfied • Satisfaction lower among the under 60s, employed, parents, suburbs, business owners and those struggling financially

15. Community safety • High % of ‘Don’t know’s for ‘after dark (excluded from this chart) • The figures above have been stable since 2008 • Daytime highly profiled. Less safe = Under 30s, over 60s, esp over 75s, homemakers, disabled, non white-British, WsM, more deprived areas, no car, business owners, financially struggling

16. Community safety • Vandalism, drunken-ness, drug dealing all continue to improve • Litter is only item showing a (slight) worsening 2012-2014 • 4% of respondents reported direct discrimination, with age the main factor

17. Community safety • Antisocial behaviour (previous slide), complex patterns but, broadly, more problematic for • 45-59s • WsM • More deprived areas • And, rarely in this survey, all issues here clearly more problematic for those who are struggling financially

18. Information • NSL audience marginally down since 2008 • 2014 figure equates to 102,000 adults reading it monthly

19. Information • Profile: ‘magazine’ option is a mirror image of ‘e-updates’ option • Demand for e-updates higher among: 18-45s, any employed, non-disabled, larger households, Portishead, parents, those dissatisfied with NSC services and those who have lived in their neighbourhood less than 5 years… • …Which happens to be those groups with higher smartphone access/confidence

20. Information • Twitter and facebook small audiences: together add 1 percentage point to NSC electronic ‘reach’ (i.e. beyond website) • Website use higher among: under 45s, employed, homemakers, non white-British, larger households, parents, business owners, lived in neighbourhood < 5 years

21. Information • ‘Don’t know’s arguably count as ‘not informed’s

22. Information: The ‘NS Life effect’ • NSL effect appears to have increased in recent years

23. Contacting the council • Around 100,000 adult residents ‘make contact’ with the council (any sort of contact) in a typical year • This is 60% of adults and is similar to the 2012 % • There are no groups who ‘don’t contact us’ but there are some variations from this average: • 44% of 75+s • 67% of business owners • 70% of 18-30s…. • …. contact the council in a typical year

24. Contacting the council • Phone still dominant (consistent with CRM data). Demographics and cross-channel use suggest some ‘movement under the ice’ e.g. website share increased among <30s 2012 to 2014. • Clear differences in channel use, especially according to location/deprivation and age/lifestagee.g… • E.g. website: 68% among under 30s • Visiting TH etc: 39% of those from most deprived wards

25. Contacting the council • As in previous years, contact with handling higher than with outcome • Nearly half the ‘satisfied’s are ‘very satisfied’s • Very similar to 2012 figures • Employed people tend to be slightly less satisfied

26. Contacting the council • Satisfaction with outcome varies a lot depending on reason for contact • Satisfaction re ‘report service problem’ around average for those using website to report it

27. For more information, contact:Dave Ostry Research and Information Officer North Somerset Councildave.ostry@n-somerset.gov.uk01275 888 762