Annual London Survey 2003

A recent MORI Social Research Institute survey conducted on behalf of the Greater London Authority shows that Londoners continue to be positive about living in the Capital. Nearly four out of five residents (78%) claim to be satisfied with their neighbourhood, as opposed to one in seven (14%) who are dissatisfied. Seven out of 10 (71%) are satisfied with London in general, with 15% dissatisfied.

Ratings on many aspects of living in the Capital have risen, but there have been particular improvements in London's image as a clean, green city that has good parks and open spaces. Residents also continue to value its cultural opportunities and cosmopolitan nature. Two thirds agree that London is a city with good relations between different racial, ethnic and religious communities. The cost of living and traffic congestion are seen as the worst aspects of living in the city, as well as the issue of continued house price rises. However, following the introduction of the congestion charge and the rise in the number of buses in the city, views on transport have improved significantly. A quarter (23%) of Londoners now rate Transport as one of the best things about living in the city, up four percentage points on last year, and fewer people now mention traffic congestion as one of the worst aspects of living in the Capital (46% in 2003 compared to 54% in 2002).

Crime and Safety remain very much an issue in the Capital -- 38% still see it as one of the worst things about city life. However, the number of people who feel safe going out alone at night has risen 10 percentage points over the past two years, from 50% in 2001 to 60% now. To improve safety, three out of five residents (61%) would like to see more police on the street. Sixty per cent say they would be prepared to pay an additional 70p a week on their council tax to fund a proposal to increase the number of permanent police officers in their local area.

Satisfaction with Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has risen in 2003 with over a third (35%) now satisfied with the job he is doing, compared to a little over a quarter (27%) in 2002. The number who are dissatisfied has also fallen (21% now compared to 27% in 2002).

• Topline Results -- pdf document, 90K

Technical details

• Results are based on 1,429 interviews conducted face-to-face in respondents' homes with a sample of residents in the Greater London area.
• Interviews were conducted between 25 October and 16 December 2003.
• Data are weighted by gender, age, work status and ethnicity to the known profile of Greater London. Data are also weighted by GLA constituency to reflect the population profile.