Story: Ian Clifford
New Deal will be well pleased with the results of the recent Household Survey, which shows nearly two-thirds of those asked think New Deal has improved the area ‘a great deal’ or a ‘fair amount’. Only around a third of those asked thought this four years ago. There are improvements in almost every other area too.
The survey, conducted by professional pollsters MORI, asks 500 Burngreave residents questions about the area every two years and is considered a good reflection of the true views of the community.
Quality of Life
82% thought quality of life in Burngreave was ‘very’ or ‘fairly good’, up from 72% four years ago and close to the national figure for this question of 83 %. Those saying they feel part of the community is now 55%, up from 44% four years ago. Only a third felt they could influence decisions, but this is the same as national figures and much higher than for the other New Deal areas.
On crime, 23 % feel ‘very unsafe outside alone after dark’ – down from 39% four years ago. The percentage ‘very’ or ‘fairly worried’ about being robbed or mugged was down from 58% four years ago to 42% now and only 35% are worried about being burgled, down from 60% four years ago and less than national figure for fears about burglary at 35%.
High Levels of Participation in Education
On education, 45% of working age people asked had done a course in the last year – this is very high and compares with 32% last year. This may reflect the numbers taking English classes and may fall if Government proposals to restrict free classes in English go ahead.
One interesting point is that the proportion of people for whom English is not their first language is sharply up from 30% two years ago to 39% now, while the percentage from black and ethnic minority groups is only slightly up, from 52% to 54%. This suggests many white new arrivals – perhaps from Eastern Europe. This perhaps suggests some caution regarding the survey findings – it’s perhaps not surprising if someone who’s arrived in Burngreave from impoverished Eastern Europe feels their quality of life has improved.
Even so, there’s some real cause for celebration here. All of us who’ve helped to make the regeneration of Burngreave a success, including its critics who have helped to bring some accountability to the New Deal programme, should celebrate the improvements in how people feel about living in Burngreave.
The results of the survey are availabe to download below as either a PDF or Excel file.