mori involvementandconsultation

What do the public want from consultation?

Ben Page, DirectorMORI Government Research

020 7347 [email protected]

(And can we give it to them?)

Outline Vast range of options - which is the public most interested

in? Is there a relationship between people enjoying the

process and the usefulness of the results? What are we trying to do here? Core principles

– understanding the difference between research and consultation

– between depth of participation and representativeness– clarity about purpose

Common Concerns About Consultation The issues are too complicated for ordinary people to

understand - no point in asking them If we keep asking people what they want, won’t we just

raise expectations that we can’t meet? Isn’t the public going to get sick and tired of all this

research? We know what everyone thinks already

Common Concerns About Consultation The issues are too complicated for ordinary people to

understand - no point in asking them If we keep asking people what they want, won’t we just

raise expectations that we can’t meet?

Isn’t the public going to get sick and tired of all this research?

We know what everyone thinks already

0%29%

21%

23%11%

69%38%37%

29%

Role of Local Members

Base: 1016 Dover residents

Keep you informed

Q Which are the most important for local District Councillors to do?

Support the local community

Deal with complaints

Listen to the views of local people

Attend local Council meetings

Represent local Council meetings Attend open meetings with local

residents Hold surgeries for people with

problems Don’t know

6%

6%

26%

26%

27%

41%

54%

What Should Birmingham Councillors do?

Listen to local people

Deal with complaints

Monitor staff

Surgeries

Act on local views

Attend meetings

Plan City-wide

Base: 1545 interviews conducted with residents aged 18+, 3 Jul-17Aug ‘99

35%

40%

41%

43%

64%

79%8%

17%

25%

29%

33%

34%

Image of Best Value Authorities

Base: 2,488 residents aged 16+

My Council needs to make more effort to find out what local people want

% AgreeQ How strongly do you agree or disagree that your council . . .?

Treats all types of people fairly

Good value for money

% Disagree

Quality of Council Services good overall

Too remote and impersonal

Does not play important part in improving quality of local life

16%

17%

17%

22%

33%

40%

49%

50%

Priorities in Hampshire……...

Base: 1670 Hampshire residents, aged 16+, interviewed 14 August - 11 October 1999

Q Which two or three do you think are most important for the County Council and its partners to achieve?

Listening to needs of communityCreating a safer community

Protecting & improving environment

Improving local public transport linksCreating a caring & fairer society

Promoting healthy living for all

Improving the local economy

Improving educational opportunities

Most People feel they are not consulted enough But may still be difficult to get them to take part in a

particular exercise Relevance

– Is the Council doing a good job in implementing its Agenda 21 obligations?

Credibility problem - what’s in it for me? Spiral of silence

Spiral of SilenceOh yes, they have those

community forum things at the church hall every month..but

hardly anyone goesWhat’s the point? Nothing ever

happened. They just always say they don’t have enough money How do you know?

I went to one the police held five years ago

What was that like?

0 1 2 3 40

20

40

60

80

Wave of Panel Research

Overall Response Rate based on % of Those Originally Approached

Panel Attrition

Selected Telephone Recruitment Using Quotas

Self-selecting Postal Recruitment

Selected Face-to-face Recruitment Using Quotas

Actual Profile

Panel Profile

Response rate to Wave 1



% % % % %

Age

18-24 14 12 7 6 5

25-44 37 40 37 37 36

45-64 31 29 35 35 35

65+ 18 18 21 22 24

Problems of attrition - most marked on Panels

Have Clear Objectives Need to be clear whether trying to

– give people a chance to have an input• speak to user groups, invite comments, survey at shopping

centre – boost involvement/understanding

• communications campaigns, roadshows, local debates– get an in-depth understanding

• qualitative research– trying to get an accurate measure of local views;

• surveys that are representative of the whole community– Always need to think about what’s in it for them - not your

organisation

Are qualitative approaches more

enjoyable?

Qualitative Choices Depth interviews - one to one, around an hour Focus groups - 8-10 people from a similar

background for up to 2 hours Citizen's Workshops - 20-30 people from a mixture

of backgrounds for a whole day Citizen's Juries - 12-14 people for 2-4 days Planning for Real, Community Conferencing etc

Qualitative Choices Depth interviews - one to one, around an hour Focus groups - 8-10 people from a similar

background for up to 2 hours Citizen's Workshops - 20-30 people from a mixture

of backgrounds for a whole day Citizen's Juries - 12-14 people for 2-4 days

Planning for Real, Community Conferencing etc

Less informed

Most informed

Enjoying the Process The public like feeling

– they are being taken seriously– that something will happen as a result– Whether or not this is worthwhile depends on what really

happens afterwards– where it is clear that time and effort has been taken to

get their views Focus groups, community workshops, often described as

most enjoyable Don’t always get this from opinion polls

– A really wonderful day, thank you for inviting me

But Panels can be interesting….

6%

14%

89%

78%

-91%

-84%

-10%

-18%I believe I am helping the Government

% AgreeQ Please tell me whether you agree or disagree?

It has been interesting to take part

I wish I had not agreed to take part

I think that the Panel is a waste of time

% Disagree

Base: 560 People’s Panel members, telephone, February 2000

Views on national People’s Panel Membership

Consultation Fatigue?

Base: 500 panel members

Since becoming a member of the panel about a year ago, do you feel that you have been approached to be consulted too often, about the right amount, or not often enough?

Q

1% 2%

80%

17%

Don't know

Not oftenenough

Too often

About the right amount

Getting involved:what do people find

most attractive

19%

32%

39%

40%

41%

52%

55%

62%

81%

-35%

-33%

-33%

-27%

-26%

-19%

-24%

-11%

-6%

Becoming a Part of Decision-making: what people are in favour of is different to what they actually do

Base: All respondents (1545)

Opinion Surveys% Support

Local Referendum

Residents groups

Neighbourhood Forums

% Oppose

Ward Advisor Board

Elections for Mayor

Council meeting

Ward sub-comm

Internet Conference

Q How if at all, has Hertsmere BC asked for your views on local services or issues, in the last year or so?

2%

2%

2%

3%

4%

5%

9%

9%

30%

Preferences - led by familiarity?

At a meeting of a group I belong to

At a meeting with a councillor

At a meeting with staff

Via a community group

Via a postal questionnaire

Via a focus group

At a public meeting

In a survey like this one

Via a panel of residents

% asked

Base: All residents (1,021)

Q How if at all, has Hertsmere BC asked for your views on local services or issues, in the last year or so? And which, if any, would you be interested in taking part in to give your views?

2%

4%

9%

9%

10%

7%

12%

26%

39%

2%

2%

2%

3%

4%

5%

9%

9%

30%

Preferences - led by familiarity?

At a meeting of a group I belong to

At a meeting with a councillor

At a meeting with staff

Via a community group

Via a postal questionnaire

Via a focus group

At a public meeting

In a survey like this one

Via a panel of residents

% asked% interested


82%

6%

12%

Community Partnerships

Don’t know/no opinion

Yes, support

No, oppose

Support

Q In principle, would you support or oppose extending Community Partnerships to other parts of the Borough?


82%

6%

12%



Yes, support

No, oppose

Support


Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved?


82%

6%

12%



Yes, support

No, oppose

Support Involvement


26%

54%

18%2%

No

DependsYes

Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved?

Don’t know

Base: All respondents who support the idea (835)


Actual Proportion - 2%

But who wants to get involved anyway?

Involvement With the Council

1%

16%

52%

24%

3%

Q Which of these statements come closest to your own attitudes towards Leicester City Council?

Base: 1,500 Leicester residents aged 16+

I like to know what the Council is doing but am happy to let them get on with their job

I'm not interested in what Council does as long as they do their job

I would like to have more say in what the Council does

I already work for/involved with Council

I'm not interested in what the Council does, or whether they do their job


17

24

35

Base: All residents

Authority A

Authority B

Authority C

Want to be more involved


17

24

35

61

27

-4

Base: All residents

Authority A

Authority B

Authority C

Want to be more involved Net satisfaction

The Disgruntled…. 27%

23%39%

21%30%

22%44%

26%41%

% Wanting more of a say

Base: 1,249 residents, aged 16+, interviewed 24 June - 5 August 1999

TotalSatisfiedDissatisfied

Well informedNot well informed

Agree good servicesDisagree good services

Satisfied with areaDissatisfied with area

Depends on perceived relevance...

Involvement

35%

30%

27%

26%

21%

20%

15%

11%

Q In which, if any, of the following services or issues would you personally like to have greater involvement?

Base: 2,488 residents aged 16+

Education services

Leisure services

Tackling crime

Meeting needs of young people

Council Housing

Social Services

How Councils spend their money

Cleaning/Environmental services

Key Points

Key Issues Think about theming or packaging consultation Keep it short - if involves self-completion Keep it relevant - always Pilot it A combination of techniques

– soft/hard– qualitative/quantative– representative/involving

Think about what you are going to be able to do as a result - before you ask the question

Make promises - if you can keep them

Questions?Comments?

mori involvementandconsultation

Documents