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Patterns of community involvement: what are they and can they be changed?Kirby Swales, Survey Research Centre
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Key questions
What is ‘community involvement’ and why should we be interested in it?
What are the overall patterns of involvement ?
Can change and policy impact be tracked ?
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What is community involvement
Volunteering in a local geographic contextDistinct from ‘neighbourhliness’
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Why encourage it?Better local decision-making
Higher levels of cohesion
Better social and economic outcomes
Greater well-being
‘Collective efficacy’
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What has or is being tried to support it?
Neighbourhood regeneration programmes (e.g. Single Regeneration Budget), Taking PartNeighbourhood PlanningCommunity RightsCommunity OrganisersCommunity FirstNational Citizens ServiceOther ‘Big Society’ and local initiatives
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Understanding Society survey
Complements Community Life surveyLarger sample size (e.g. ethnic minority boost)Multi-purpose – helps put in contextCan match on local area variablesKey topics: volunteering, membership of organisations, neighbourhood attitudes module, votingLongitudinal analysis **
Some headline findings
1.
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Membership of organisations
Sports Club
Religious Group or Church Organisation
Professional Organisation
Trade Unions
Other Group or Organisation
Social Club/ Working Men's Club
Voluntary Services Group
Tenants /Residents Group or Neighbourhood Watch
Other Community or Civic Group
Parents /School Association
Environmental Group
Pensioners Group
Political Party
Scouts/Guides Organisation
Women's Institute/ Townswomen's Guild
Women's Group/ Feminist Organisation
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Active %Member %
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Neighbourhood attitudes
Plan to stay in neighbourhood
Talk regularly to neighbours
Belong to neighbourhood
Willing to improve neighbourhood
Local friends mean a lot
Am similar to others in neighbourhood
Advice obtainable locally
Can borrow things from neighbours
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Strongly agreeAgreeNeither agree nor disagreeDisagreeStrongly disagree
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Sub-group analysis
16 to 29 30 to 49 50 to 69 70+ All0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
Agree strongly that willing to improve neighbourhoodMember of tenant or neighbourhood organisation
Can change be tracked?
2.
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Change over time (Community Life Survey)
2005 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2012-13 2013-14 2014-150
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20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Civic activism in last yearAny volunteering in last year
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Evaluation evidence
‘interventions have not had such an apparent impact on broader community social capital indicators’
Evaluation of New Deal for Communities programme – final report
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Summary
Active community involvement in UK society appears a relatively marginal activity but there is evidence to be more optimisticActual involvement varies more than attitudesChallenging to identify any change: measurement or reality?
If you want further information or would like to contact the author,
Kirby Swales
Director, Survey Research Centre
T. 020 7549 7027
Visit us online, natcen.ac.uk
Thank you
