New research from Ipsos, conducted on behalf of London Councils tracks Londoners’ perceptions of key issues facing London as well as attitudes towards a number of key policy areas, including housing, crime, employment and devolution.
e-Democracy is a relatively new undertaking for many councils according to research carried out by the MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of the Local e-Democracy National Project. Only one in five (19%) so far have a written e-democracy strategy in place, although a further third (36%) do have plans to draw up a strategy. Whilst there is a great deal of interest in harnessing the potential of technology, there is a wide divergence amongst local authorities in terms of current practice and the level of investment in e-democracy. There is also a significant gap between what is available offline and what has been made available online.
More of the public are optimistic about the government's policies for improving the economy since May 2002, according to MORI's quarterly Delivery Index research for The Financial Times published today. The survey, undertaken between 25th and 28th February shows that 43% of the public agree that "in the long term, this government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy". This represents a three point increase since last November and an eleven point increase from New Labour's low in July 2003.
A new report published today shows that whilst most people have a strong aspiration to have a say in how the country is run, many doubt that political participation is the best way to do so. According to research conducted by MORI for The Electoral Commission and Hansard Society's second annual Audit of political engagement, two-thirds of the public (67%) want to have a say in how the country is run, but only 27% at the moment feel that they do have a say.
Although awareness of public appointments remains low in the UK, there have been some improvements since 2000 according to research by MORI. The research, commissioned by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), shows one in five people (21%) say they have confidence in the system in place in this country.
MORI's latest research for the Local Government Association shows local government sees inspection and audit as drivers of council performance. However they also want to see inspection massively reduced and reshaped: most councils feel inspection does not provide value for money and lacks a strategic orientation. Focusing on outcomes and targets instead of processes, and on fewer, more strategic areas, is considered the way forward.
MORI's latest Delivery Index survey, conducted for the Financial Times, shows that the public remain divided over whether the Government's policies will improve the state of the economy. The public also remain sceptical about the Government's ability to improve public service in the long term, although trends on both these areas have improved since 2003.
Ratings of local government fluctuate over time, with perceptions of the institution consistently less well regarded than individual service areas. Latest findings show signs of a potential recovery after notable declines in ratings since the late 1990s. When asked to identify reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their local authority, residents typically find it difficult to pinpoint specific reasons, highlighting the complex set of issues which underpin a council's reputation. If an authority is perceived to provide generally good quality services and good value for money, then it is highly likely to also achieve strong satisfaction ratings. Indeed, perceptions on these attributes are consistently shown to be the strongest drivers of overall satisfaction across different studies and across key sub-groups within the population.
On 4 November 2004 there will be a referendum in the North-East of England on whether or not to have an elected regional assembly for the region. The latest MORI research on behalf of the Northern Echo looks at the knowledge of the referendum process, likelihood of voting, and attitudes towards an elected regional assembly. Among the key findings are:
