MORI survey full analysis

Story: Ian Clifford

Looking Good! Results from the 2008 MORI Household Survey of Burngreave

Results from a household survey of Burngreave have just been released which show big improvements in how residents see the area; increased trust in the Council and police and a reduction in fear of crime.

The survey, conducted by MORI, has been done every two years since 2002 as part of the New Deal programme, with the latest survey carried out in the summer of 2008. With a sample size of over 400 and careful sampling methods, the survey gives one of the best insights into how Burngreave is changing. Even so, MORI warn that only changes of 8 percent can be considered to be ‘significant’, meaning that they represent actual change rather than chance. This review aims to point out the significant changes.

Residents feel better about the area

Most remarkable is the change in the percentage of residents who say they are very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the area as a place to live. This has risen steadily over the last 6 years from 64% in 2002 to 82% in 2008, similarly, those who rate their quality of life as very good has risen from 23% to 30%.

In fact, residents see the area as improving across a range of issues. Comparing 2002 to 2008, those seeing run down or boarded up houses as a problem is down from 39% to 15%; those seeing abandoned or burnt out cars a problem down from 47% to 11%. Those seeing the poor quality of parks a problem down from 45% to 29% and the percentage seeing teenagers hanging around on the streets as a problem is down from 55% to 42%. The percentage who feel part of the community a great deal or a fair amount is up from 44% to 58%.

Even trust in the agencies is up. Those who say they trust the Council a great deal or a fair amount is up from 41% to 55%. Figures for trust in the police are up from 58% to 71%, very close to the national figures of 75% who say they trust the police a great deal or a fair amount. Only trust in local schools has shown little change, with only 57% saying they trust local schools a great deal or a fair amount, compared with 69% nationally.

Population change?

These stunning results beg the question of whether MORI are asking the same people. Is it just that Burngreave is now more middle class, with the poor having been driven out when their Council houses were knocked down and professionals moving in?

Length of residence in the area is a specific question in the survey. Responses indicate that 16% of those surveyed had lived in the area less than 3 years and 26% for less than 5 years, so there clearly has been some turnover in the area, though it should be remembered that Burngreave / Pitsmoor has always been an area of high mobility – a place to live for those arriving in the city who later move on. Interestingly, of those who had lived in the area for less than 2 years, 14% said they had been attracted by recent improvements a fair amount, though the numbers of people who moved recently are small (45), so 14% of this is just 6 people.

73% of those surveyed had lived in the area for at least 5 years and 54% had lived in the area for at least 10 years, so most of the respondents to the survey are long-time Burngreave residents.

Tenure figures show some evidence of population change. In 2008 40% said they owned their houses, or were buying with a mortgage, compared to 35% in 2002. 58% of us rent, compared to 63% in 2002. The percentage in the social rented sector (Council House or Housing Association, etc) has fallen from 55% to 47% – a significant fall.

Work

There is some evidence of population change in reported occupations. 23% of residents say they work as managers, senior officials or in professional occupations, compared to 12% in 2002. 19% of us are self-employed, only slightly up from 2002, but significantly higher than the national figure of 13% self-employed. Overall, 46% of residents say they are ‘economically active’ or available for work, the same figure as in 2002 and much lower than the national figure where 64% are economically active. The percentage actually in paid work, including apprenticeships, rose, but not significantly, from 36% in 2002 to 40% in 2008.

Poverty

A lot of us are still poor, though. 41% of households report an income of less than £10,400. While this is down from 54% in 2002, given a degree of inflation over the 6 years, this figures is high. By comparison, only 12% national report an income of less than £10,400. However, we do save more. 91% of us have some sort of savings or insurance, compared to 70% in 2002 and close to the national figure.

Ethnic Mix

The racial mix of the area appears to have changed little, though ethnic categories used in this survey make the Yemeni and Somali communities difficult to identify. 46% of respondents were white, compared to 49% in 2002, not even a significant difference, though 3% of the white population are now from outside the British Isles compared to 1% in 2002. Other figures area broadly similar, though only 6% of respondents described themselves as Caribbean in 2008, compared to 12% in 2002 and the percentage of mixed race rose from 4% to 8%. The percentage who say English is not their first language is up, though not significantly, from 29% to 34%.

Qualifications

Burngreave residents are more educated. 29% now have degree level qualifications or higher, compared to 19% in 2002. However, a quarter of residents have no qualifications. While this is significantly down from 2002, when 39% of residents stated they had no qualifications, this figure is still almost double the national figure of 13% with no qualifications. However, 25% reported that they had GCSEs, grade A-C in 2008, compared to 17% in 2002 and 18% said they had A levels, compared to 11% in 2002. Interestingly, 42% now say they have a driving licence, up 9% from 33% in 2002.

Crime

The police have much to celebrate in this survey. Apart from the massive vote of trust in the police mentioned earlier, fear and negative perceptions of crime in the area are massively down. Those who see burglary as a problem in the area is down from 51% to 27%; those seeing car crime a problem down from 56% to 32%; those seeing drug dealing and use a problem down from 69% in 2002 to 48% in 2008. The percentage who feel the area is very or fairly safe is up from 38% in 2002 to 56% in 2008. The percentage worried about burglary is down from 60% to 35%. Figures for fear of mugging; car theft, sexual assault, physical attack, racial harassment all show similar massive falls.

Interestingly, people’s actual experience of crime has changed little and the percentages who have experienced crime, though small, are higher than national figures. Those saying they had experienced a burglary in the last 12 months has fallen from 9% in 2002 to 5% in 2008, compared to 1.4% nationally.

Education

On education and training, those who said they have taken part in education and training is significantly down over the last 2 years, with 37% reporting training in 2006, but just 27% in 2008, down to similar levels to 2002. This perhaps reflects cuts to ESOL provision in the area.

But the need for basic skills is still there. Between a fifth and a quarter of residents said they needed help with each of: reading, writing, spelling and maths, very similar figures to 2002 and around double the national figures.

Around half of us have access to a computer, up from 33% in 2002, though less than the national figure of 71% respectively

Health

On health, the percentage saying their health is good is up from 39% in 2002 to 54% in 2008. 28% report a long-standing illness or disability, down from 35% in 2002. However there is little change in the percentage who smoke, at 28% or who eat vegetables regularly. One issue highlighted around health is that 33% say that it’s fairly difficult or very difficult to see a GP when they need to. This figure is up from 22% in 2002. Given the generally positive findings of the survey, especially around attitudes to agencies, this is significant and may reflect GP surgeries adopting appointment systems. The percentage who say they’ve visited the GP in the last week is down from 18% in 2002 to 10%, but maybe this is because they couldn’t get an appointment! Satisfaction with GPs is high and close to national figures.

Community

Some of the most interesting figures about the sense of community in Burngreave. The proportion of residents who describe the area is “very friendly” has risen from 32% in 2002 to 42% in 2008. This is 9% more than the national figure for friendliness. The percentage responding that they know most or many people in the area has stayed constant over the past 6 years at around 54%, though again, this compared well to national figures. 35% ‘definitely agree’ that Burngreave is an area where people from different backgrounds get on well together and 47% ‘tend to agree’ – again, only 15% of the national sample ‘definitely agree’ with this statement.

Burngreave New Deal

Considering that the survey was undertaken at the same time as some very serious allegations against Burngreave New Deal appeared in the Sheffield Star and elsewhere. Interestingly, this does not seem to have affected residents perceptions of BNDfC and its impact on the area. 83% of residents had heard of Burngreave New Deal and 61% said that the activities of BNDfC had improved the area as a place to live ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ and a similar percentage said that they trusted BNDfC ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’. Around a quarter of residents said they had been involved in some BNDfC activity – higher than the average for the other New Deals across the country.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it remains unclear whether the differences shown in the survey are caused by a changing population or by shifting perceptions. It seems likely that both have played a role. What is remarkable, though, is the dramatic change in how residents see the area. At the start of New Deal residents highlighted the poor reputation of the area as an issue, including the fact that residents themselves had a poor view of the area. This issue was one of the motivations for setting up the Burngreave Messenger. Without doubt there has been a dramatic change in how residents themselves see Burngreave.