Place Survey

The Place Survey was abandoned by the government in 2010. In previous years all councils I the country were required to conduct a Place Survey, which provided useful data about local people’s attitudes and perceptions of their local area and local services.

Islington Place Survey 2008

The first Place Survey took place in Autumn 2008.

The survey is a postal survey of a random sample of addresses in each council area, and in order to ensure the results are reliable at least 1,100 questionnaires must be completed. The results are weighted to best reflect the profile of the population in each council area

The first Place Survey was conducted in Islington between 8 October and 19 December 2008. A total of 1,542 questionnaires were returned.

The same questions were asked in every local authority in England. This means that it is possible to compare levels of satisfaction and peoples' opinions of their council in other areas, including all other London boroughs.

The questions asked range from those about residents’ opinions of their local area and their neighbourhood, to satisfaction with local information about public services and chances to get involved in local decision-making. Questions were also asked about satisfaction with local services including:

• council services
• policing
• GPs
• hospitals
• dentists
• public transport
• local fire and rescue service

The full set of questions can be seen in the Islington questionnaire available for downloading at the bottom of this page.

2009 Place Survey

An identical methodology was used in 2009, and the questions were identical with the exception of one additional question. The field work took place between 23 September and 18 December 2009. We sent out fewer questionnaires than in 2008, and in total 1,283 people responded.

However unlike the 2008 Place Survey national comparisons are not available with other local authority areas as other councils were not legally required to carry out a Place Survey..

Results

Some of the selected highlights from the latest survey are:

• Nearly four fifths (78%) of Islington residents are satisfied (or very satisfied) with their local area as a place to live.
• Half of Islington residents (50%) said they feel they belong to their local area.
• One in five people (21%) undertake voluntary work at least once a month.
• Four fifths (80%) of residents think that people from different backgrounds get on well together.
• Over half of Islington residents (51%) are satisfied (or very satisfied) with the way Islington Council runs things – which is higher than the national average (in 2008) of 45%.
• Nearly nine in ten residents (87%) feel safe out and about in their local area during the day and just under half (48%) feel safe outside after dark.

The full 2009 report can be downloaded below, as can the results of the 2008. The 2008 survey results were published in June 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), which is responsible for the Place Survey across the country. Data was not published nationally for each question that was included in the Place Survey, though it does include all the national indicators and other key data.

The Place Survey in 2010

The government decided to abandon the Place Survey in summer 2010 and a survey was not conducted in Islington.

Further Information

For more information about the Place Survey in Islington contact Alistair Smith, Research and Strategic Intelligence Manager at consultation@islington.gov.uk.

For general information about the Place Survey, see the Place Survey 2008-09 Technical Manual.