UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

1998 British Social Attitudes Survey:
Secondary data analysis of the Local Government Module

Contents

Executive Summary
1 Introduction
2 The method - The British Social Attitudes Survey

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Details of the Measurement Tool, Sample and Fieldwork
2.3 Data Representativeness - Sample validation and population estimates
2.4 Reporting the results

3 Results

3.1 Knowledge of local government
3.2 Local authority information provision
3.3 Local council control
3.4 Government standards
3.5 Council tax
3.6 Local authority efficiency
3.7 Reported voting behaviour in local and general elections
3.8 Attitudes towards voting in local elections
3.9 Alternative voting methods
3.10 Trust in Other Forms of Public Participation
3.11 Attitudes Towards Mayors and Councillors

4 Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix 1: Local Government Module

List of Figures

Figure 2-1 Comparison of Sample Characteristics to Population - by Gender
Figure 2-2 Comparison of Sample Characteristics to Population - by Age
Figure 2-3 Comparison of Sample Characteristics to Population - by Socio-economic Group
Figure 2-4 Comparison of Sample Characteristics to Population - by Education
Figure 3-1 Do you happen to know the name of your city, district or borough Council?
Figure 3-3 How well would you say your (city/ district/ borough) Council keeps you informed about the services it provides? 1998
Adequacy of information that council gives about its services in 1990 (Lynn 1992)
Figure 3-4 Perceived adequacy of council information provided by age. ‘How well would you say it keeps you informed about the services it provides?'
Figure 3-5 Sub-group analysis of perceived adequacy of council information provided
Figure 3-6 How well would you say your (city/ district/ borough) Council keeps you informed about the services it provides? (1998)
How well does your local council keep you informed about the things that are happening in your area that affect you as a resident? 1998
Figure 3-7 Do you think that local councils ought to be controlled by central government more, less or about the same amount as now?
Figure 3-8 Opinion about central government control by age group
Figure 3-9 Opinion about central government control by education
Figure 3-10 Thinking about how local councils ... Which of the statements on this card comes closest to your views?
Figure 3-11 Do you think the level of council tax should be up to the local council to decide, or should central government have the final say?
Figure 3-12 Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘a council that wants to increase the council tax by more than inflation should have to get a majority vote in favour through a local referendum'
Figure 3-13 Thinking about the level of council tax in your area, do you think it gives good value for money or not?
Figure 3-16 In your opinion, should your local council spend...
Figure 3-17 And do you think that your local council should be spending more money in your area compared to other areas, or not?
Figure 3-18 - Local authorities vs. private sector.
Figure 3-19 Did you manage to vote in the general election 1997?
Did you manage to vote in the last local election?
Figure 3-20 Sub-group analysis of voting behaviouor (General election and Local election)
Figure 3-21 Employment status by voting in the last local election
Figure 3-22 Which of the explanations on this card best describes the main reason why you did not vote?
Figure 3-23 Views about voting in local elections.
Figure 3-24 - Views about voting in local elections over time. Source (Rao et al 1995:99)
Figure 3-25 Which of the statements on this card comes closest to your views about the idea of holding local elections over a weekend instead of on Thursdays?
And what about you? Do you think you would be more likely to vote if local election were held over a weekend rather than on a Thursday?
Figure 3-26 Voting during the weekend by Country
Figure 3-27 Voting during the weekend by gender
Figure 3-28 Voting during the weekend by age
Figure 3-29 Voting during the weekend by employment
Figure 3-30 Which of the statements on this card comes closest to your view about voting in local elections?
Figure 3-31 Postal voting by Country
Figure 3-32 Postal voting by age
Figure 3-33 Postal voting by socio-economic group
Figure 3-34 Postal voting by employment
Figure 3-35 If you could vote at a local shop or post office rather than go to a polling station, do you think that you would be more likely to vote?
Figure 3-36 Which one of these two ways of voting would you prefer to use?
Figure 3-37 Should local elections be held every year or every three or four years?
Figure 3-38 Frequency of elections by age and by socio-economic group
Figure 3-39 Say there was a proposal for a major new building development in your neighbourhood. Please say how much you would trust ... on your local authority to come to the best view about the proposal?
Figure 3-40 Say there was a proposal for a major new building development in your neighbourhood. Please say how much you would trust ... on your local authority to come to the best view about the proposal?
Figure 3-41 Which of these two statements comes closest to your views?
Figure 3-42 It has been suggested every city, district or borough council should have a (Mayor/Provost) or leader who is elected by all people in the area and has the power to take some decisions on the council's behalf. Thinking about your area, please use a phrase from this card to say how much you agree or disagree with each of these statements about this idea. Having an elected Mayor would...
Figure 3-43 Views on elected Mayors by country- Having an elected Mayor would...
Figure 3-44 Age group by views on elected Mayors
Figure 3-45 Views about councillors.
Figure 3-46 Views about councillors' over time. Source Rao et al 1995:99

Acknowledgements
 This report has been prepared by Natalia Chivite-Matthews and Jason Teal, Local and Regional Government Research Unit(DETR). We would like to thank Ms Katarina Thomson (National Centre for Social Research) for her support in developing the questions and providing further details on the sample and fieldwork of the 1998 British Social Attitudes Survey.
Deborah Kafka and Lucy Bradshaw from the DETR for patiently proof reading the report.

The above document is available in Adobe Acrobat format for downloading. The Adobe® Acrobat Reader® can be freely downloaded. Viewers with visual difficulties may find it useful to investigate services provided to improve the accessibility of Acrobat documents - http://access.adobe.com/

[ Previous ] [ Contents ] [ Next ]

Published September 2000
Last updated on 21 February 2001
Return to Local Government Finance Home Page
Return to Local and Regional Government Index
Return to DETR Home Page
DETR Web Site Terms