Citizen's Panel March 2001 (Summary)

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Introduction

Hastings Borough Council commissioned NWA to undertake a postal survey of its Citizens' Panel in March 2001. In total 583 people returned the questionnaire, 561 of the original Panel and 22 "new recruits". The overall response rate for the original Panel was 59.7% (561/940).

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Purpose of the Research

The purpose of the survey was to consult on the following issues:

Modernising Local Government

• Whether Panel members had a preferred option
• If so, what their preferred option was
• Had they received the 'Four Choices - One Future' booklet
• If they had whether they, or someone else in the household, had returned the questionnaire

Quality of Life

• Involvement with community or voluntary organisations
• Satisfaction with their local neighbourhood as a place to live
• Available (within a 15 minute walk) local facilities
• Perceptions of noise
• Method of travel to school for respondent's children
• Method of travel to employment, if employed away from home
• Levels of car sharing

Dog Fouling

• Perceived levels of dog fouling in local neighbourhood, street; roadsides & pavements, parks, gardens & other open spaces, on the beach, in the Borough overall.
• Opinions on the 'worst areas/streets' for dog fouling
• Number of dogs owned by Panel members

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Achieved Sample & Analysis of Results

1

940 of the original Panel members were sent copy of the questionnaire, as were 'new recruits' who had agreed to take part in further research following a recent survey of members of the public who had had contact with the Council either in person, by telephone or by letter, (a further 220 potential respondents). However, only 22 people who had been interviewed during this survey returned the questionnaire.

2

In total 583 people returned the questionnaire (561 of the original Panel). The overall response rate for the original Panel was therefore 59.7%. As the achieved sample was unrepresentative of the general it was therefore weighted on age and gender.

3

Weighted data, for each question in the questionnaire, has been analysed to tables using SPSS, (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), and these tables are attached as Appendix 2, with further details on the achieved sample being shown on pages 43 to 46.

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