Citizens' Panel Questionnaire - October 2008

I received the following email today (I knew there was something I was meaning to do):

Dear Citizens' Panel member, [See here for my official certificate]

There is still time to complete the Autumn Citizens' Panel questionnaire.
The deadline has been extended to next Wednesday, 12th November.

Please go to
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/survey.html?name=cpoct08_online

[...]When you enter your Panel number in the first box, please make sure you click next rather than enter. Enter will submit the survey. This is a glitch that is unique to internet explorer 6. It will be sorted out by the next survey with an update to the online survey software.

If you have already returned the survey please ignore this message.

Best wishes,
Anna McDermott
Consultation and e-Participation officer
Bristol City Council

This was the comment I made on completing the Citizen's Panel Questionnaire:

This is without question the most facile and worst survey in which I have ever participated. What do you - the Council Officer using the output of this survey - think you are going to get out of this exercise? Could you, with a straight face, use the consolidated output of this questionnaire to make recommendations to the elected members of council?

For your information, I present the questions from the questionnaire. Read them carefully, as at some point in the future the analysis of the answers will be used as the basis for a press release justifying some illiberal and nonsensical bit of council decision-making.

[Note - the technology used to generate and present the questionnaire was quite poor. There are better options available such as Opinion Suite from local hippies Team Rubber.

The Questionnaire

Topic 1

Greater Bristol has been chosen as England's first Cycling City - making it the country's premier national and international showcase for promoting cycling as a safe, healthy and practical alternative to the car.

A comprehensive programme of schemes and activities is being developed in association with our partners and Cycle England. A broad range of initiatives are currently being considered. These include:
* New off-road cycle routes * Cycle Training
* Improved on-road cycling routes * Awareness raising

We want to work with local communities to develop the plans for improved cycling facilities in Bristol so we know what discourages people from using bikes to travel around the Greater Bristol area and can include things in the project to make it easier for you to start cycling.

Q1. How often do you ride a bike?

• Most Days
• At least once a week
• At least once a month
• A few times a year
• I have not cycled for years
• I don't cycle at all

Q2. Cycling is great for keeping fit, saving money, and travelling to work.
What stops you choosing cycling for some journeys? (Tick all that apply).

• I don't feel fit enough
• No bike storage at home
• Too many hills
• I don't have the right clothing or equipment
• I don't feel safe in traffic
• I'd be afraid of my bike being stolen
• I don't have a bike
• It takes too long
• I prefer to use the car
• I can't carry shopping on the bike
• The weather
• Free parking at work
• I need the car for work, to pick up children, etc
• I don't want to cycle
• No shower/changing facilities at work
• Other
• No bike storage at work

Q3. What would make cycling easier for you? (Tick all that apply).

• Cycle training for children and adults
• Showers at work/college/school
• Financial help to buy a bike
• Lockers at work/school/college
• Dedicated cycle routes separated from car traffic (by a physical barrier)
• Secure storage at home
• Improved surface quality of on road cycle lanes
• Lower speed limits
• Improved continuation of on road cycle lanes
• Cross city cycle lanes
• Improved signs for cyclists
• Links to other forms of public transport
• Better maps and information about cycling
• I do not want to cycle
• Advice and training in cycle maintenance
• Other

Q4. In Bristol and South Gloucestershire there are cycling events held every year (e.g. during Bike Week and Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride). Please tick the statements that match your view of these events.

• They are a waste of money
• They are good events and I would welcome other cycling events
• They are ways of giving people a chance to cycle on roads without cars
• They encourage leisure cyclists to cycle to work
• They encourage people to try cycling
• I am not aware of any cycling events

Topic 2

In Bristol there are currently 182,000 homes (houses and flats); 142,000 are in the private sector, of which about 116,000 are owner occupied and 26,000 private rented. Almost 29,000 are rented from the council and 10,000 are rented from housing associations (these last two are known as social housing).

We want to know what your housing priorities would be for the city and how aware you are of some other housing services. This information will be used alongside other consultation to inform Bristol's new Housing Strategy. Other more specific housing surveys are used to measure the condition of individual homes or the need for housing; the questions here are about more general perceptions.

Q5. Which of these aspects of housing in Bristol do you feel is getting better or worse?

• Amount of housing choice (i.e. different sizes of housing)
• Condition of housing generally
• Quality of new housing design
• Availability of housing for renters
• Availability of loans or mortgages for buyers
• Cost of rented housing
• Cost of housing to buy (e.g. mortgage/interest rates/deposits)
• Amount of homelessnesso
• Amount of overcrowded housing
• Availability of supported housing *

Q6. Tick FOUR aspects of housing which you think need improving the most in Bristol (Tick up to four boxes).

• Amount of housing choice (i.e. different sizes of housing)
• Cost of housing to buy (e.g. mortgage/interest rates/deposits)
• Condition of housing generally
• Amount of homelessness
• Quality of new housing design
• Amount of overcrowded housing
• Availability of housing for renters
• Availability of supported housing
• Availability of loans or mortgages for buyers
• Amount of empty property
• Cost of rented housing
• Other

Q7. Prior to this questionnaire were you aware of 'shared ownership' housing? (This is housing where you buy part of the property and (usually) a housing association owns the other part. This allows those on lower incomes to get on the property ladder and in time they can buy a bigger/the whole share if they wish)

• yes
• no

Q8. How far would you be prepared to move (where applicable without changing job) to find a suitable / more suitable home?

• Within my local neighbourhood
• Elsewhere in Bristol
• Outside Bristol
• Not applicable

(Answers requested for "to rent" and "to buy")

Q9. Which organisation would you go to for housing advice if you had a housing problem? (Tick all that apply)

• Council
• Your landlord
• Solicitor
• Shelter or other specialist advice agency
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Estate or letting agent
• Friend or relative
• Other
• Lender or finance broker
  

Q10. More specifically, where would you go for housing advice if your home (either owner occupied or private rented) was in poor repair? (Tick all that apply)

• Council
• Your landlord
• Solicitor
• Shelter or other specialist advice agency
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Estate or letting agent
• Friend or relative
• Other
• Lender or finance broker

Topic 3

We want residents to be able to influence decisions about the city. We want to make sure you are consulted about changes that are happening and that your views are being taken into account. This section of questions asks about opportunities to participate in local decision making.

The information you give will help us see if the opportunities for people to give their views to the council are being used, if they are appropriate and to see if you feel you can influence decisions that are being made.

Q11. Have you attended a public meeting at the council house or in your neighbourhood? (Tick one)

• Yes, within the last year
• No, never
• Yes, more than a year ago

Q12. Are you aware that you can watch webcasts of Council meetings on the Council's website?

• Yes
• No

Q13. Have you... (Tick all that apply)

• Signed a petition (including e-petitions)
• Contacted your local MP
• Objected to or supported a planning or licensing application
• Been a member of a community/voluntary group
• Contacted your local Councillor

Q14. If you were invited to get involved in decisions about your local area, which of the following ways would you prefer? (Tick one only)

• At a public meeting or focus group
• Through a survey delivered by post
• Through online consultation
• It would depend on the issue
• Not interested in getting involved in local decision making

Q15. Do you feel you can influence local decision making?

• Yes
• No

Q16 Do you have access to the Internet? (this may be at home, work or somewhere else)

• Yes
• No

Q17 If yes, where do you most frequently access the Internet for your own use (e.g. not work related) (Tick one)

• At home
• At the library
• At work
• Somewhere else
• At school/college/ university

Topic Four: About Bristol

The following items are all identified as being important in making somewhere a good place to live. Some are geographical and environmental aspects of Bristol which cannot be changed. The things that the City Council can impact on are set out in the 2008 -11 Corporate Plan of the Council's key priorities over the next three years. These key priorities are supported by what members of the public said was most important in the 2006 Best Value General Users Survey. We want to see if your priorities are similar.

Q18. Do you think the following things have improved in Bristol over the past 3 years?

Improved a lot Improved a little Stayed the same Got worse Don't know

• Activities for teenagers
• Affordable decent housing
• Clean streets
• Community activities
• Cultural facilities e.g. cinemas, museums, etc
• Education provision
• Facilities for young children
• Health services
• Job prospects
• The level of crime
• The level of pollution
• The level of traffic congestion
• Parks and open spaces
• Public transport
• Race relations
• Road and pavement repairs
• Shopping facilities
• Sports facilities
• Wage levels and local cost of living
• Shared prosperity and economic growth
• Leisure facilities e.g. nightlife and entertainment events
• State of repair of buildings and properties
• Level of drug misuse and related problems
• Getting on with different types of people in your neighbourhood

Q19. What do you think are the best and worst things about Bristol?

Best Worst Don't know

• Activities for teenagers
• Affordable decent housing
• Clean streets
• Community activities
• Cultural facilities e.g. cinemas, museums, etc
• Education provision
• Facilities for young children
• Health services
• Job prospects
• The level of crime
• The level of pollution
• The level of traffic congestion
• Parks and open spaces
• Public transport
• Race relations
• Road and pavement repairs
• Shopping facilities
• Sports facilities
• Wage levels and local cost of living
• Shared prosperity and economic growth
• Leisure facilities e.g. nightlife and entertainment events
• State of repair of buildings and properties
• Level of drug misuse and related problems
• Getting on with different types of people in your neighbourhood

Q20. In ten years' time, what news headline for Bristol would you feel most proud of? (Tick one only)

• No one in Bristol lives below the poverty line
• All children in Bristol succeed in school
• Bristol is the leading UK city for tackling climate change

Q21. Do you have any other comments?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.
Please press the submit button once.