LPSA2 Survey, November 2009

Executive Summary

The vast majority (93%) of Hampshire residents are satisfied with the area as a place to live, and this has increased by four percentage points from an already high level in 2005. Around half of residents also feel that Hampshire County Council provides value for money (49%) and over three in five (64%) are satisfied with how the council runs things overall.
A low level of crime, health services and education provision continue to be the most important considerations for Hampshire residents in making somewhere a good place to live. Issues perceived as most in need of improvement in the county are road and pavement repairs, activities for teenagers and public transport.
Three quarters of residents say they are informed about local affairs; however, only a third feel able to influence decisions affecting their local area. Residents continue to feel that working together as a neighbourhood is significantly more effective though; three in five (61%) agree that this can influence local decision-making.
Around seven in ten residents feel that they live in a cohesive community, and a majority (60%) also agree that ethnic differences are respected in their local area. Residents are most likely to mix with people of a different social class or ethnic origin at work, in local shops and at local services such as restaurants and pubs.

Almost all residents feel safe walking around in the day and a clear majority also feel safe walking around after dark (65%). Feelings of safety in general appear to have improved since 2005.
One in five (20%) residents feel that the level of crime in general has increased in their area over the last year, while slightly more (27%) believe that anti-social behaviour problems have got worse. Most residents in both cases feel that things have stayed the same in their area.
Speeding traffic, teenagers hanging around on the streets and carks parked inconveniently, dangerously or illegally are seen as the three biggest anti-social behaviour problems in Hampshire. These are also perceived to be the three issues which have the biggest impact on residents’ quality of life.
Hampshire residents are significantly more aware of PCSOs than they were in the last LPSA Residents’ Survey; 73% are now aware compared to 35% in 2005. A quarter are aware of ACSOs, slightly higher than in 2005.
Residents are most likely to feel reassured by more traditional community safety measures such as police officers in their area and seeing marked police cars. A significant proportion also feel reassured by PCSOs and CCTV, although less so by the latter than in 2005.

Over half of residents have taken part in informal volunteering in the past year, and correspondingly, around two in five have been recipients of help.
Half of Hampshire residents have been involved in a group, club or organisation, with the most common type of group being linked to sports and exercise. Two thirds of residents who are involved in groups have volunteered for them, most often by organising or helping to run an activity or event.
Residents who are already involved in volunteering are most likely to have heard about the opportunity from someone else already involved in the group, whereas those who are currently not volunteering would most likely look for opportunities in the local newspaper.
One in five residents who do not currently volunteer would be interested in doing so and one in ten have enquired about becoming a volunteer in the past but not actually taken up the opportunity. The biggest barrier to volunteering is a lack of time.

A quarter of residents have participated in 30 minutes of exercise at least five times per week over the last year, and the majority (66%) have participated in exercise at least once a week.
During the previous four weeks, the activity that residents are most likely to have participated in is swimming (20% said they had done so). Most residents undertake physical activity to keep fit or because they enjoy it.
Three in ten residents have used a leisure centre in the last four weeks, mostly for swimming or the gym.
Half of residents would like to undertake more physical activity; swimming is the most popular option by a significant margin (41% would like to do this more often).
Residents are most likely to say that more time and cheaper admission/participation prices would encourage them to exercise more.