Residents’ Surveys

Residents’ Surveys Research

At M·E·L Research, we have considerable expertise in engaging with residents in order to provide local authorities with an understanding of local priorities, neighbourhood issues and the quality of local service delivery. We are passionate about giving residents a clear voice in shaping services and improving neighbourhoods.

M·E·L Research has been at the forefront of public service satisfaction survey consultation for decades, including the previous BVPI and Place Surveys. In recent residents’ surveys we have explored:

• The issues that matters the most to residents in their neighbourhoods, as well as wider priorities in budget setting processes.
• The quality of local spaces including cleanliness, road and footpath maintenance, the upkeep of parks and the quality of local shops and amenities.
• Community issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as community cohesion and social isolation.
• Transport issues including access to public travel, active travel behaviours and the impact of policy interventions such as low traffic neighbourhoods.
• Health behaviours and attitudes that can inform the policy and interventions of Public Health teams.
• Cultural participation at local authority level, including questions on the experience of City of Culture, and Borough of Culture.
• Waste and recycling services.
• The impact of the cost of living crisis on resident behaviours and health outcomes.
• The reach and impact of council marketing campaigns.

We understand that successful residents’ surveys needs to be deployed in such a way that allows consistent comparison to key indicators and benchmarks (e.g. those provided by LGA polling), while being flexible enough to address new and emerging information needs in the local context.

The M·E·L Research team can advise on:

• Optimising the questionnaire design to maximise the insight it delivers
• Sampling techniques that deliver robust and representative data
• Maximising the inclusivity of the research, both in terms of the design of the survey and in its deployment
• How to best engage residents on sensitive issues such as health, with a particular emphasis on ensuring confidentiality

The reporting solutions we provide to decision makers are highly visual with a clear narrative.  We don’t just describe the findings we interpret them.  Our analysis and reporting of residents’ surveys includes use of:

• Multivariate statistical analysis e.g. key driver analysis.
• Significance testing to identify variations in opinion between different communities.
• Secondary data to add depth to the insight. We regularly append the Index of Multiple Deprivation and geo-segmentation datasets to the primary data we collect.
• Clear visualisation of the findings including infographics. Infographics can be used to help communicate findings back to residents .

Get in Touch

Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and learn more about our tailored residents’ surveys solutions.

For any enquires about collecting and using residents’ surveys please contact us directly.