Resident's Perceptions



Introduction
Analysing responses to the Birmingham Opinion Survey and the Birmingham Monthly Tracker Survey allows us to understand the public’s perceptions of their local community and what they see as the major challenges facing the city. We can also gauge the use of, and satisfaction with, different elements of public service delivery and how people interact with decision making and their local communities.

Key Facts and Statistics
 According to Birmingham residents, key priorities include helping people to find jobs, and dealing with crime.  Local issues that are important for neighbourhoods and need improving are Clean streets, crime, affordable decent homes, and activities for teenagers.  87% of residents are satisfied with their local area.  54% of residents agree they can influence decision making. This figure has increased significantly in the past 12months.  79% of people feel that people of different backgrounds get on well together.   86% of Birmingham’s residents are satisfied with their overall quality of life.   79% of residents felt a strong sense of belonging to their local area, a reduction of 3% since 2009.  14% of residents in 2010 stated they wanted to move away from their local area, an increase of 1% since 2009 but an overall reduction of 11% since 2007. </li> Of the 14% residents in 2010 who wanted to move, 12% stated they wanted to move to a better area, 11 wanted a larger property and 8% wanted a better quality of life. </li> 45% of residents stated that they felt well informed about local public services. </li> 73.8% of residents have used parks and open spaces and 43.5% of residents have used libraries in the past 12 months. </li> Residents who use cultural and leisure facilities are generally satisfied with the facilities on offer. With 90.4% of monthly users satisfied with Community Services and over 88% satisfied with libraries, museums and galleries and parks and open spaces. </li> 73% of residents in 2010 were satisfied with the way Birmingham City Council runs things.. </li>

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Resident Priorities
The chart below highlights what people consider are the wider challenges that are likely to face the city of Birmingham in the future. Responses are given on a spontaneous, unprompted basis. As with previous years when this survey has been conducted, the key priorities include helping people to find jobs, and dealing with crime. The key priority, helping people to find jobs, reflects the new economic reality of the country and the amount of people highlighting this as the main challenge has increased since the recession.



Respondents were also asked to nominate “quality of life” aspects that they feel are most important in making somewhere a good place to live, and which aspects they feel are most in need of improvement in their local area. Clean streets, crime, affordable decent homes, and activities for teenagers are aspects which are prominent in both lists below.



Satisfaction with Local Area
Overall satisfaction with quality of life is high in Birmingham, particularly in more affluent constituencies such as Sutton Coldfield and Edgbaston. The overall proportion of people who are satisfied (87%) has remained largely unchanged in the past 3 years. Satisfaction is lowest in Yardley constituency and in particular Sheldon (71%) and Stechford & Yardley North (72%) wards.



The chart below shows the overall net change in the satisfaction levels. The most significant falls in satisfaction have been seen in Northfield, with Perry Barr and Hall Green seeing the biggest increases.



Community Engagement
As the chart below suggests, over the past few years people in Birmingham are becoming increasingly more satisfied with the opportunities to influence decision making. Satisfaction levels are still quite spread across the city, with people least satisfied in Hodge Hill and Yardley constituencies, and most satisfied in Selly Oak.



Although a significant proportion of people in the city are satisfied with the opportunity to influence decision making, the percentage of people who agree they can actually influence decision in their local area has fallen significantly in recent years.



Community Cohesion
Birmingham is a welcoming place, where most people embrace its diversity. The proportion of residents who think that people from different backgrounds get on well together has remained high over the past few years (79%). Supporting this 85% of people enjoy living in an area with people from different cultures and religions – up from 72% in 2009.

As the chart below, perceptions of community cohesion vary between different communities, with satisfaction lowest in Yardley and Hodge Hill and highest in Sutton Coldfield and Perry Barr.





Satisfaction with Birmingham City Council
Nearly three quarters of residents surveyed stated that they were satisfied with the way Birmingham City Council runs things, there has been an increase of 5% in the proportion since 2009 and a 6% increase since 2006.



Public Service Satisfaction
With one or two exceptions, people seem to be generally satisfied with public sector organisations in the city. In the Birmingham Opinion Survey regardless of whether they have used specified public service providers in the past twelve months or not, all respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the provision in place. With the exception of West Midlands Police and Job Centres, satisfaction with these public services seems to have increased over the past 12 months. The relatively lower satisfaction levels of Job Centres, schools and training establishments, is due to a high proportion of people answering “don’t know” to this question – probably as they do not use the service.



Crucially, people’s satisfaction with service providers does change with use. The table below outlines the proportion of people satisfied with a service for annual and monthly users, alongside all respondents. Satisfaction with providers such as Job Centres, Dentists and West Midlands Fire service is significantly higher amongst users. In contrast those satisfied with West Midlands Police decreases the more regular the contact.



Leisure and Cultural Services
The table details the frequency with which all respondents to the Birmingham Opinion Survey 2010 have used specific culture and leisure services in the past 12 months.

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High usage services, (defined by the proportion using the service over the previous twelve months) include parks and open spaces (73.8%), libraries (43.5%) and sports and leisure facilities (34.4%). Few residents appear to use services on a weekly basis, however the exception is with regards to parks and open spaces which 40% of respondents stated they used on a weekly basis.

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The table below details satisfaction levels with regards to culture and leisure services. It appears that generally the more frequently a service is used the more satisfied residents are with the service providers.

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Monthly users (82.7% satisfied) of theatres and concert halls are less satisfied than annual users (87.4% satisfied). Over 90% of respondents who use Community Services on a monthly basis are satisfied with the service provided. Whilst over 88% of respondents who use libraries, museums and galleries and parks and open spaces are satisfied with the facilities on offer.

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