Item 08 - Appendix 4
West Dunbartonshire Council · 25 October 2023
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 25 October 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 West Dunbartonshire Citizens Panel Spring 2023 Survey Report West Dunbartonshire Citizens Panel provides a way for residents to give their views on the Council and its services. This document presents the key findings from the online spring 2023 survey. The responses of our members inform service development and improvements to ensure we meet the needs of our residents now and in the future. This year’s survey was themed on the four priority areas of the Council’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, to help us understand any changes over time, and people’s priorities. 1. Our Communities 2. Our Environment 3. Our Economy 4. Our Council Overall, 282 responses were received, 25% more than the 2022 survey. Self- selection bias can occur when survey respondents are allowed to decide entirely for themselves whether or not they want to participate in a survey. In most instances, self-selection will lead to biased data, as the respondents who choose to participate will not well represent the entire target population. However, the respondent profile in this survey was generally representative of demographic groups in West Dunbartonshire. Age representation was good except for the proportion of 16-24 year olds with very little response, and for 25-34 were responses were about 50% less than the proportion of those people in the West Dunbartonshire population. There was good geographical representation from across our areas. The respondent’s breakdown shows, 6% from G60, 40% from G81, 29% from G82, 22% from G83 and 2% from the G13/14 area. Summary of findings • 79% of respondents rated West Dunbartonshire as a good place to live • 71% of respondents felt they had no barriers to digital inclusion ore • 32% of respondents said they had some concerns about their finances, with 4% say they had serious concerns We look at the results in more detail below. APPENDIX 4
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2 1. Our Communities Living in West Dunbartonshire 79% of people rated their local neighbourhood as a very good/ good place to live. 51% of people felt their local area had stayed about the same compared with the previous year, 8% felt it had improved whilst 41% felt it had got worse. Improvements to social housing had improved the overall look of the area. Unattractive town centres and lack of amenities was cited as reasons for a perceived deterioration in the local areas has a place to live. Digital inclusion 71% noted no barriers to digital communications. 29% noted some barriers to using digital communications, the three most common areas noted were broadband affordability, online safety and poor mobile phone reception. Overall, 80 % of respondents were aware of sources of digital support in West Dunbartonshire Council through libraries and the Community Learning and Development team. 12 47 170 53 0 50 100 150 200 Very poor Poor Good Very good How would you rate your local area as a place to live? 37 78 145 17 5 0 50 100 150 200 Got a lot worse Got a bit worse Stayed about the same Got a bit better Got much better How has your local area changed over the last year? 38 19 25 18 27 3 201 0 50 100 150 200 250 Cost of Broadband Cost of device Poor reception Low digital skills Online safety Not accessible No concerns Barriers to using digital technology
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3 Health and Wellbeing 65% of people reported they felt their physical health was very good/good. 70% of people reported they felt their mental health was very good/good In common with results from the 2022 Citizens Panel, women are more likely to report poor or very poor mental health compared to men. Overall, men also reported better physical health than women. Disabled people reported worse physical and mental health than non-disabled people. 2. Our Environment In common with earlier surveys carried out, there was strong support for actions on climate change and adaptation. There was considerable concern about flooding, with a commonality of actions suggested, including protecting greenspaces, re wilding and not expanding use of concrete drive ways. 91% of people stated access to Greenspaces and feeling safe in their community were very important to their quality of life. 5 25 69 141 42 9 14 61 143 55 0 50 100 150 200 Prefer not to say Very poor Poor Good Very good Health and Wellbeing Mental health Physical health 85.8% 80.1% 67.7% 91.5% 80.1% 85.8% 67.7% 91.5% 11.0% 14.9% 22.7% 7.8% 14.9% 11.0% 22.7% 7.8% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Public transport Leisure facilities Arts and culture Green space Good roads Good pavements Good Housing Feeling safe Quality of life in the built environment Very important Important Somewhat important Not important
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4 71% of people felt better roads and pavements would support use of a wider range of more environmentally sustainable transport, more regular and cheaper public transport and parking enforcement were also noted. 3. Our Economy 68% of people reported no issues with their finances. 35-44 year olds were the most likely to have some level of concern about their finances (44%) with over 75 year olds having the least concerns. 47% of people reported that, in relation to public transport improved accessibility, and reduced costs would help improve their finances. Support with young families was also noted with 19% of people noting childcare and free schools meals would be beneficial. Flexibility from employers for home working and access to training opportunities accounted for 37% of responses. 24 67 149 42 0 50 100 150 200 Very concerned financially Fairly concerned financially Fairly secure financially Very secure financially Financial security 9 11 16 16 35 37 43 47 51 54 68 107 134 147 199 0 100 200 300 Other Nothing Car shareb/club Electric scooter charging points Bike shelters or storage Wheelchair & scooter accessiblilty Bikes or E-Bikes hire Electric car charging points Increased disabled parking bays More cycling routes Accessible Public Transport Parking enforcement Cheaper public transport More regular public transport Improved roads & pavements Sustainability improvements 85 45 18 26 34 21 46 86 45 38 21 0 20 40 60 80 100 Other Living wage salary More work hours Cease zero hours contract Free child care provision Free school meals Accessible public transport Reduced transport costs Home working Training & Development Digital Skills training Financial Security improvements
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5 54% of agreed it was easy to travel out with WD for work, 31% agreed it was easy to travel within the area for work 54% stated WD felt like a successful place Overwhelmingly, the majority of people answered neutral on all options. 80% of people shop for groceries and general household items within the WD area, similarly the majority of people 71%, shop local for trades such as plumbers. Overwhelmingly, all other purchases, including entertainment, are done out with the WD area. 15 46 46 7 15 7 5 46 71 106 106 35 71 35 44 106 168 120 120 169 168 169 129 120 20 5 5 48 20 48 68 5 8 5 5 23 8 23 36 5 0 100 200 300 Ease of travel to work within WD Ease of travel to work out with WD It is easy to work at home in WD Easy to find a job in WD Help to find a job in WD Range of job opportunities WD is a good business location WD feels like a successful place Work and Employment Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree 226 199 82 57 42 40 33 27 168 149 129 175 20 27 2 72 101 26 3 29 30 4 10 41 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Groceries & household items Trade services Entertainment Clothing Electronic items Cars, Kitchens Shopping behaviours In WD Outwith WD Online N/A
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6 4. Our Council Perception of Council services As with previous surveys including the 2022 Citizens Panel, respondents were less positive across all areas with common questions, than telephone survey respondents. It is important to note that Citizens Panel respondents are self- selecting, whilst those to the Telephone Survey are selected at random. 55% of people liked to receive information about the Council from the Council website. Social media channels were also noted as key areas where residents look for council information, with Facebook was the most popular social media channel with 46% of people choosing this platform. Facebook was also noted as the most commonly used social media channel. 5 4 5 1 3 101 82 101 108 87 120 139 127 115 118 56 57 49 58 74 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 WDC services are value for money WDC takes account of residents views WDC communitcates well WDC is well run WDC is transparent Perception of the Council Very satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied 37% were satisfied that the Council provided value for money, compared to 66% for the 22/23 telephone survey 31% agreed that the Council took account of their views, compared to 63% from the 2022/23 telephone survey 38% were satisfied with how we communicate, compared to 71% from the 22/23 telephone survey 39% were satisfied with the way we ran services, compared to 79% from the 22/23 telephone survey 32% felt the Council were transparent in their decision making. 68% said they had about the same say on what went on in the area. 57 129 46 11 156 4 75 0 50 100 150 200 Other Facebook Twitter Instagram Council Website Google classroom Text alerts Preference for finding out about information on council services