do the public want to join the government of britain?

Do the public really want to join the government of Britain?

Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute briefing pack

21st April 2010

The party manifestos suggesta real difference of emphasis between Labour and Conservatives on the role of the state

“Real change comes when the people are

inspired and mobilised, when millions of us are fired up to play a part in

the nation’s future.”

“So my invitation today is this: join us, to form a

new kind of government for Britain”

“The roleof government: to stand byordinary people so they can

change their lives for the better.It is our belief that it is active,

reforming government, notabsent government, that helps

make people powerful.”

Will the public accept David Cameron’s invitation for greater involvement, local control and personal responsibility?

The eight key points

1. Large proportions say the public should be more involved in local and national decisions, fewer say they personally want more involvement, and in practice, even fewer actually will get involved

2. BUT this still leaves a large, untapped resource – eg only 5% say they want to start getting actively involved in local issues – but that is still 1.7m people

3. However, we also need to remember that people wanting to be actively involved is not in itself always a good sign – more people want to get involved when they feel that services are failing and they therefore need to step in

4. And in specific policy areas, the public are pretty happy with their current levels of involvement in for example schools and policing – and, for most, local councils not parents or other bodies should be running schools. But still significant minorities say they would like more involvement

Cont’d…

The eight key points

5. Levels of involvement and feelings of empowerment have been very static over the last decade, despite a wide range of initiatives: it is going to take a seismic shift in our approach to citizen involvement for the public to even notice

6. People are contradictory on local control – they like the idea of it, but also want services to be the same everywhere. Promoting local control will need to deal with our national obsession with the “postcode lottery” and our real sense of the need for fairness between people/areas

7. There is no clear consensus on the role of the state and the balance between “big society” and “big government” – we are split down the middle on the broad principles. And, again, we are self-contradictory on whether the government should be setting laws to protect us or we should fend for ourselves

8. But we don’t think the experts/government know best - and there is clear support for people taking more personal responsibility, including parents being held more accountable for the behaviour of their children

People say they are interested in being more

involved

In fact, around half say they would get more involved locally

Your local area?

Don't know Fairly involved Very involvedNot very involved Not involved at all

43%

32%

18%

2%5%

The country as a whole?

38%

33%

22%

2% 5%

Q To what extent, if at all, would you like to be involved in decision making in . . . .

Base:1,051 British adults 18+. Fieldwork dates: 11th - 17th December 2008

Although when asked in more detail, 5% want

active involvement, 24% want a say and the rest

happy with information or don’t care…

…BUT that’s still nearly 9 million people who say they want to influence more

Base: 1,896 GB adults, 18+. Sept 2008. Source: Ipsos MORI

Q Levels of involvement/interest in involvement in local services

47%

24%

16%

Already involved (4%)

Want active involvement (5%)

Want more of a say

Just want information

Don’t care

BUT still 1.5m people

And 7.2m people

12%

82%

6%

Most do support greater involvement in principle - but many fewer say they personally want to get involved

Don’t know/no opinion

Yes, support

No, oppose

Support Involvement

Q In principle, would you support or oppose extending Community Partnerships to other parts of the Borough?

54%

26%

2%

18%

No

DependsYes

Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved?

Don’t know

Base: All respondents who support the idea (835)Base: All residents from one London Borough (1,021)

6%

82%

12%

Don’t know/no opinion

Yes, support

No, oppose

Support Involvement

Q In principle, would you support or oppose extending Community Partnerships to other parts of the Borough?

54%

26%

2%

18%

No

DependsYes

Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved?

Don’t know

Base: All respondents who support the idea (835)Base: All residents from one London borough (1,021)

Actual proportion who got involved: 2%

And in practice, only a tiny proportion usually do…

17

24

35

61

27

-4

Base: Residents in each of 3 Local Authorities

Local authority A

Local authority B

Local authority C

% of residents who want to be involved

Net satisfaction with local authority

Having lots of people wanting to be involved not always a positive sign - if things are going well people are happy for services to get on with it – local government example…

…it’s when things are bad that

people most want to get involved

626468

6367

3535373734

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2001 2003 2005 2007/08 2008/09

% g

ive

n u

np

aid

he

lp

At least once a year Once a month

A third currently volunteer monthly – and this is pretty stable across recent years

Proportion who have given any unpaid help to non-relatives in the last 12 months

Base: All valid responses from core sample in England (~8,000 surveyed per wave)Source: Citizenship Survey

57%38%

31%28%28%

27%24%

22%20%

17%14%

11%8%

3%3%

Those that do volunteer want to make a difference

I wanted to improve things/help people

The cause was really important to me

I had spare time to do it

I wanted to meet people/make friends

I thought it would give me a chance to use my existing skills

It was connected with the needs of my family/friends

I felt there was a need in my community

It's part of my philosophy of life to help people

My friends/family did it

I thought it would give me a chance to learn new skills

It's part of my religious belief to help people

I felt there was no one else to do it

It helps me get on in my career

I had received voluntary help

It gave me a chance to get a recognised qualification

Base: All in England who participate in formal volunteering (5,229)Source: Citizenship survey 2008/09

Mentions

Those that don’t want to be more involved don’t have timeQ What factors, if any, prevent you from getting more involved in the decision making process?

I don’t have enough time

I’m not given the opportunity to get involved

There is not point, my opinion won’t be listened to anyway

I am disillusioned/cynical/feel politicians are untrustworthy

Base: All who feel they don’t have influence and would like to be involved in decision making (459)

Fieldwork dates: 11th - 17th December 2008

40%

12%

11%

10%

Top 4 mentions

Need to remember that people who get involved do not always feel empowered – in fact, more

who are currently involved in local decision-making bodies do NOT feel they can influence decisions

than do…

15% 85%

Involved in decision-making bodies on local issues

9%6%

CAN influence decisions

CANNOT influence decisions

NOT a happy group…- half the level of satisfaction with council, half as likely to feel informed, half as likely to think views sought…

There are lots of unhappy involved people…

Yes No

Source: Place Survey 2008/9

5 15 10 37 33

Most currently don’t feel they have influence over public services…

I have influence over how public services are delivered

Q On balance, do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

% Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Strongly disagree% Tend to disagree

Base: 1,012 British adults, 7-9 March 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Delivery Index

39 39383844

22202225

20

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2001 2003 2005 2007/08 2008/09

% a

gre

e

Local area Great Britain

…or decisions affecting their local area. This trend has been very static over time – despite government initiatives

Q Do you agree or disagree that you can influence decisions affecting your local area/Great Britain?

Base: All valid responses from core sample in England (~8,000 surveyed per wave)Source: Citizenship Survey

It is going to very difficult to

shift perceptions of influence

But people are contradictory on levels of local control they’d like. On the one hand, they support quite radical

approaches to greater local control…

3 19 15 50 14

% Strongly disagree % Tend to disagree% Don't know/Not stated % Tend to agree% Strongly agree

…for example, two thirds happy to see more neighbourhood control over police resources…

If neighbourhoods take more responsibility for addressing crime and anti-social behaviour (such as through reporting crime or monitoring community CCTV), they should be given more control over police resources

43 20 14 12 9

1 - agree much more with A2345 - agree much more with B

…but on the other hand people want services to be the same in all local areas

Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion

A. Standards of public services should be the same everywhere in Britain

B. The people who live in different parts of Britain should be able to decide for themselves what standard of public services should be provided in their area

Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Real Trends

Partly driven by a national obsession with the “postcode lottery” –

try entering the term into newspaper search

engines…

…a lot of news coverage of “postcode lotteries”

“Over 100 items”

“637 items”

But this is NOT just a media obsession, driven by real concerns about fairness. With greater local control people will need more reassurance about minimum standards and support for the less able

“310 items”

What about plans for greater involvement in

education and the police?

Base: 1,994 British adults, 14-21 August 2008

One in eight people would like to get involved in police service provisionWhich of the following statements comes closest to your own attitudes towards your local police force?

2

13

53

26

4

1

I'm not interested in what the police does as long as they do their job

I like to know what the police are doing, but I'm happy to let them get on with their job

I would like to have more of a say in what the police does, and the services they provide

I'm not interested in what the police do, or whether they do their job

I already work for, or am involved with, the police and the services they provide

Don’t know

% choosing answer

18%

79%

3%

Four in five Scottish parents are happy with the level of parental involvement in schools…

Too few opportunities

Too many demands

Balance is about right

Base: 1,000 parents of children aged 5-16 (inclusive) in state school education in Scotland, conducted from 4-25 July 2005

How would you describe the opportunities you have to be involved in the life of the SCHOOL? Do you think there are too few opportunities to get involved, too many demands made on parents or do you think the balance is about right?

45%

55%

1%

…although, on the other hand, almost half say they want more involvement

Yes

Don’t know

No

Base: 1,000 parents of children aged 5-16 (inclusive) in state school education in Scotland, conducted from 4-25 July 2005

Would you personally like to be more involved in the life of school?

24%

8%3% 5%

19%

21%

20%

But just a quarter support the idea of schools being set up by organisations other than the local council

Neither/nor

Very goodDon’t know

Very bad

Fairly bad

No view either way

Base: 1,211 adults age 15+ in England, 5-11 March 2010; Ipsos MORI Capibus for NASUWT/Unison

Some people have suggested that more schools in the future could be run directly by private companies, religious groups, charities or groups of parents, rather than being run by the local council as they generally are now. How far do you believe this is a good or bad idea, or do you have no view either way?

Fairly good

Net good:-20%

62

14

5

4

4

4

2

6

Local councils/local authorities

Universities or colleges

Groups of parents

Non-religious charities

Private companies

Religious organisations

None of these

Don't know

And local councils are seen to be best-placed to run schools

% naming this group

Overall, which, if any, of the following do you think is the most appropriate group to run state-funded schools?


35

34

32

17

11

5

6

4

8

Religious organisations

Private companies

Groups of parents

Non-religious charities

Universities or colleges

Local councils/local authorities

All the above should be allowed

None of these

Don't know

While a third think parent groups should not be running schools

% naming this group

Overall, which, if any, of the following do you think should not run state-funded schools?


46% ABs vs. 22% DEs

Big society vs Big government…

We don’t know whether we want to be American or Scandinavian…

Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor

A society which emphasises the

social and collective

provision of welfare

A society where individuals are encouraged to look after themselves

A society which allows people to make and keep as much money as they can

A society which emphasises similar

incomes and rewards for

everyone

People have different views about the ideal society. For each of these statements, please tell me which one comes closest to your ideal.

Base: c. 1,000 British adults 18+ each month

47

48

51

46

49

46

44

482006

2009

2006

2009

Public do believe there’s a problem in society – and see taking more

responsibility as part of the solution …

…for example, one of the few things nearly all GB citizens agree on is parents needing to take more

responsibility for their children…

13 29 64

% Strongly disagree % Tend to disagree

% Tend to agree % Strongly agree

…although they are thinking of other parents and other people’s children…

Parents should be made to take more responsibility for the behaviour of their children

% Agree

15-29 84

30-49 95

50-64 95

65+ 94

AB 91

C1 95

C2 94

DE 88

Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Real Trends Study

25%

22%

19%

16%

9%

10%

A quarter believe individual unwillingness to take responsibility explains poverty

% choosing answer

Q4. Moving on, why, in your opinion, are there people who live in need? Here are four opinions: which is closest to yours?


Because of laziness and a lackof willpower

Because there is so muchinjustice in our society

It’s an inevitable part of modern progress

Because they have been unlucky

None of these

Don’t know

79%

39%

35%

17%

7%

2%

1%

1%

Your lifestyle

Your genes

Your social circumstances

NHSWhether you are male or

femaleHaving a university degree

No answer

Don't know

And we recognise that by taking responsibility for ourselves, we can improve our health

% mentioning factors

Q10. Looking at this card, which factors, if any, do you think have the biggest impact on your chances of living a long and healthy life?


In a more responsible society, what role do

people want the state to play?

20 28 30 13 7

No clear view on role of state – on one hand, people should be responsible…Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion

Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008

Agree much more with A

Agree much more with B

People should be responsible for

making their own decisions about their health and welfare - it is no business of the

state to interfere

The state should take responsibility for the public's health and welfare - it must protect people from making mistakes they will regret later

10 22 30 18 20

…but on the other hand, we don’t know


Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008

Agree much more with A

Agree much more with B

It is the government's responsibility to influence people's behaviour to encourage healthy lifestyles

The government should not get involved with interfering in people's lifestyles

8

4

15

12

29

38

32

24

“The Govt should do more to protect people by passing laws that ban dangerous activities”

“The Govt does not trust ordinary people to make their own decisions about dangerous activities”

62% agree

61% agree

We want govt to pass more laws to protect people, while also leaving decisions to people’s own judgement!

Q How strongly do you agree or disagree that….

% Strongly agree% Tend to agree

% Tend to disagree

% Strongly disagree

Base: 1,015 GB adults aged 16+ Source: Ipsos MORI

7 10 24 32 26

1 - agree much more with A2345 - agree much more with B

But pretty clear that the public don’t think experts know best


Base: 2,019 British adults, fieldwork dates 9th May – 17th June 2008

A. The experts who provide and manage public services know best – they should find out what we think and get on with it

B. The general public should be much more actively involved in shaping public services, through for example people deciding on priorities

Role of the state depends on the issue at

stake?

27%

24%18%

15%

11%6%

Half agree that government should punish bad parents – even by taking away benefits

Neither support nor oppose

Tend to support

Tend to oppose

Strongly support Strongly oppose

Q How strongly would you support or oppose the following:

‘Parents who fail to bring up their children properly should lose eligibility for family payments’

Source: Ipsos MORI – Base 2,000 respondents

No opinion

27%

43%

11%

10%

7%2%

Public do support govt intervention on issues like climate change – even if it means behaviour change

Strongly agree

Q How strongly do you agree or disagree that . . . ?

The government should take the lead in combating climate change, even if it means using the law to change people’s behaviour

Tend to agree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagreeDon’t know

Neither/nor

Base: 2,037 British adults, 14-20 June 2007

10

19

29

68

59

41

So we want leadership from Government (but we’re sceptical about it)Q To what extent do you agree or disagree that……?

I want to see the Government do more on climate change

% Disagree % Agree

Climate change is being used by the Government as an excuse to raise

taxes

I am worried the Government, in taking action on climate change, will try to restrict the things I want to do

Base: 1,039 GB adults aged 15+, interviewed face-to-face and in home, 23-29 May 2008

But in the end, evidence suggests that people

taking more responsibility and getting involved can make a real

difference…

0.80

Satisfaction with involvement in decision-making and ratings of overall inpatient care

R2 = 0.7466

0.60

0.65

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75

Satisfaction with involvement in decision-making

Rat

ing

s o

f o

vera

ll c

are

Norfolk &Norwich

N.Middlesex

Ealing

Aintree

East Kent

Coventry & Warks

Tameside & Glossop

Northampton

Correlation between being involved in decision-making and happier patients

Source: NHS inpatient survey 2006

R2 =51%

0

10

20

30

40

50

10 15 20 25 30 35 40% agree police/public services seek views about crime/ASB

% a

gre

e th

at s

ucc

essf

ull

y d

eali

ng

wit

h

crim

e/A

SB

Base: All valid responses, Place Survey 2008/09 (Excludes City of London) Source: Ipsos MORI

Those who feel consulted are also more likely to feel issues are being successfully dealt with

Ashfield

East NorthantsEast Northants

Merton

For information, visit the Ipsos MORI General Election Centre:

http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchspecialisms/socialresearch/specareas/politics/generalelection2010.aspx

Please direct queries or press requests to:

[email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected]

do the public want to join the government of britain?

News & Politics