Quality of Life 2014 2 14

Home , Cutteslowe, Littlemore

Quality of Life 2014 Report on Oxford’s 7 priority neighbourhoods

Quality of Life survey

2 14

ALEXANDER KIRRI – UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD JAMIE GARDINER – UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD CHEN HUANG – UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

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CONTENTS

Executive Summary 3

About the Quality of Life Survey 4

Introduction by Healthwatch 5

About the Consultants 6

The Project 7

Community and Environment 8

Personal Safety 15

Health and Wellbeing 18

Explanatory Factors: Education and Economic Well-Being 24

Transport and Connectivity 28

The City and the County Council 30

Evaluating the Survey 33

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Within the “Regeneration Framework for Oxford to 2026” adopted by Oxford City Council in November 2009, 7 areas within Oxford were identified as an area in need of regeneration.

The 7 areas are: Barton, Cuttleslowe, The Leys, Littlemore, Northway, Rose Hill, and Wood Farm.

One of Oxford City Council’s five key priorities within the Corporate Plan 2011-2015 is to promote strong, active communities through strengthening community participation. Nationally, through a number of recent government strategies and by legislation, there is an increased emphasis on enhancing community engagement and promoting the sustainability of local communities.

Based on a survey produced by Bristol City Council, the 16 page questionnaire consultation was completed by 1,117 residents from all 7 areas which gave a representative view from each neighbourhood.

The Student Consultancy of Oxford University conducted the analysis of the questionnaire data. The following is a synopsis of their findings.

Overall, 28% of those surveyed believe their neighbourhood has improved, while 16% think it has worsened.

On average, the top three social and environmental problems which residents have raised serious concerns about are dog fouling, drug dealing, and litter. Meanwhile, around 50% or more of the respondents consider vandalism and fly-tipping to be problematic to a certain extent.

From the 24% of respondents who used the option to articulate specific and particular concerns in their own words, the issues of roads and parking and the cleanliness of streets are seen as problematic and if improved, may lead to greater quality of life for Oxford residents.

When asked about safety around their own neighbourhood, the respondents to this survey generally felt pretty safe during the daytime and when indoors. Nevertheless, the percentage of people feeling unsafe is as high as 21.4% outdoors after sunset.

Encouragingly, in all areas surveyed, 70% of respondents are either very or fairly satisfied ‘…with [their] local area as a place to live.’

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ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY

Oxford City Council has developed a range of innovative ways in which local communities can become engaged in decisions that affect them. The approach to setting up Area Forums, Community Partnerships and Community Planning Groups embraces this. We work specifically in priority areas to achieve interaction by developing inclusive Community Partnerships involving councillors, community groups, schools, businesses and other partners to focus on local issues. It will also enable effective support to empower resident groups and be more involved in local issues.

The Communities and Neighbourhoods (CAN) team is part of the Leisure, Parks and Communities Service. Our remit is to engage with local communities, encourage democratic participation through Area Forums, lead on social regeneration initiatives and create a dialogue that helps us as an organisation better understand the needs of our communities and how we can best meet those needs in the services we provide.

Within the “Regeneration Framework for Oxford to 2026” adopted by Oxford City Council in November 2009, 7 areas within Oxford were identified as an area in need of regeneration.

The 7 areas are: Barton, Cuttleslowe, The Leys, Littlemore, Northway, Rose Hill, and Wood Farm.

This consultation took the form of the Quality of Life Survey and was coordinated by the CAN team during April and May 2014. To assist this work we received a grant of £2,000 from Healthwatch Oxfordshire to incorporate some specific health questions.

Based on a survey produced by Bristol City Council, the 16 page questionnaire consultation was completed by 1,117 residents from all 7 areas which gave us a representative view from each neighbourhood.

The Student Consultancy of Oxford University conducted the analysis of the questionnaire data. The following report is a summary of their findings.

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INTRODUCTION BY HEALTHWATCH

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is an independent organisation, established under the Health and Care Act 2012. Its purpose is to listen to people’s experiences of publicly funded health and social care in Oxfordshire, and to use that information to influence improvements to that provision in the County. Healthwatch Oxfordshire exists to provide the people of Oxfordshire with a powerful voice in shaping decisions affecting vital services, for all residents of the County.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire has set aside £30,000 in 2012- 2013 and in 2013-2014 to fund projects which enable community groups and community based organisations to spread the word about Healthwatch Oxfordshire, and to undertake small scales research projects with particular groups of services users. Working in partnership in this way helps to increase the capacity to hear from the ground. In this capacity Healthwatch Oxfordshire agreed to help sponsor Oxford City Council’s first Quality of Life survey in priority communities.

The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the report authors (Oxford City Council working with Oxford University Consultancy Service. Healthwatch Oxfordshire will take careful account of the recommendations and ensure that local providers and commissioners hear them. We will follow up over time to monitor the impact of the data and the recommendations within this report in support of our shared aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local services.

Rachel Coney – Chief Executive

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ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS

JAMIE GARDINER Jamie is a first-year historian studying at St Hugh’s College. With a particular interest in the theory of social and political organisation, he enjoys the application of qualitative analysis both to historical problems on a weekly basis and now a subject matter much closer to hand. Previous work experience in the public sector (MP’s offices and Government departments) means he relishes the opportunity to continue a strong interest in policy research and development.

CHEN HUANG Chen Huang is a 3rd-year DPhil student studying Materials. His research project focuses on ultra-high resolution imaging of radiation-sensitive materials. The project involves both experimental work and analytical processing of electron micrographs. Before coming to Oxford, Chen finished his undergraduate study at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He is currently the MCR Treasurer at St Peter’s College.

ALEXANDER KIRRI Alexander Kirri is a second year undergraduate at St Hugh’s College reading French. Driven by an active interest in the interdisciplinary application of his skills, he is particularly keen to approach projects from both qualitative and quantitative angles, to develop broad but highly specialised solutions to complex problems. With significant global academic and commercial experience stretching from London to Tokyo, he is keen to engage with the social issues presented by the Oxford Quality of Life survey, and apply his knowledge to maximise influence in the resulting policy.

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THE PROJECT From “Proposal letter”, dated 16th May 2014:

“We understand that Oxford City Council’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Team as part of the Leisure, Parks and Communities Service, acts to engage with its constituent communities, encourage democratic participation through Area Forums, take a lead on social regeneration initiatives, and stimulate dialogue in order to better meet the needs of Oxford’s diverse communities.

The objective of the first stage of the Priority Neighbourhood Quality of Life Survey (“The Quality of Life Survey”) was to create a solid evidence-base in order to assess the needs of seven deprived neighbourhoods in Oxford (Barton, Northway, Wood Farm, Rose Hill, Leys, Littlemore and Cutteslowe). The first team set out to (1) enhance the validity of the survey and piloting the survey with different groups of the target population, (2) systematically review effective methods for accessing hard to reach populations in survey designs, and (3) recommend a detailed strategy, including a timeline and appropriate communication channels for carrying out the survey.”

The Student Consultancy then identified the following key focuses for the second stage of the project, for which the following report is the product:

To conduct both quantitative and qualitative analysis of The Quality of Life Survey, both in absolute terms, and considering the data’s relative reliability. This analysis will focus on six key areas: Community and Environment, Personal Safety, Health and Wellbeing and the associated Explanatory Factors (Economic Wellbeing and Education), Transport and Connectivity, and finally The City and the County Councils. Each topic is divided into subheadings, as relevant.

To evaluate the methodology of The Quality of Life Survey; with a particular focus on the efficiency of survey distribution, and data reliability.

To make general strategy and more specific policy suggestions from The Quality of Life Survey and for future methodologies; using steers and leads derived from the above analysis. Though we have little or no experience of policy, “common sense” ideas and basic initiatives can be found throughout the project.

These focuses are to be communicated to Oxford City Council Communities and Neighbourhoods Team by: (a) the following report (b) a presentation of the project to local residents across the neighbourhoods and representatives from the Oxford City Council.

We hope you find them useful. The project has been a pleasure, and it would be even more so if our work played some part in achieving real, practical good.

Jamie, Alex and Chen 22/08/2014

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COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT

THE RESPONDENTS Overall, the majority of respondents of the Quality of Life survey were female (63%).

Gender of Respondents 3%

34% Male Female

63% Other

The survey received responses from respondents ranging in age from less than 18 years old to above the age of 80. Most responses came from respondents ranging in age from 25 to 79 years old. Age Groups of Respondents 1% 5% Below 18 6% 18 - 24

19% 18% 25 - 34

35 - 44

16% 16% 45 - 54

55 - 64 19% 65 - 79 Ethnic diversity among the respondents was low with an overwhelming 90% of respondents describing their ethnic origin as white or white British.

Respondents' Ethnic Origin

2% White or White 4%4% British Black or Black British

Asian or Asian British 90% Mixed Background

The Communities and Neighbourhoods team has committed to completing a secondary Quality of Life consultation targeting communities of interest within the 7 neighbourhoods. Upon completion, these results will be circulated as a supplementary report to this one.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD “Do you think over the past two years your neighbourhood has got better or worse?”

Overall, 28% of respondents think that their neighbourhood has got better, while 16% think it has become worse.

With respect to each individual neighbourhood, in Barton, Cutteslowe, The Leys, Rose Hill and Wood Farm, more people think their neighbourhood has got better in the last two years than people who think the opposite; however, in Littlemore and Northway, there are more people who think their neighbourhood has become worse than before.

Littlemore Do you think over the past two 9% years your neighbourhood has got 18% better or worse?

Overall 41% 32%

9% Better

28% Worse Northway

Not Changed 12% 14% 47% 16% I have lived here 25% less than 2 years 49%

Barton Cutteslowe The Leys Rose Hill Wood Farm 2%

9% 8% 12% 21% 15% 22% 32% 38% 44% 14% 49% 30% 14% 48% 11% 57% 49% 11% 14%

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SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY The participants of the survey were asked for their attitudes with regards to a series of social and environmental issues in their neighbourhood. The chart on this page illustrates the statistics drawn from all seven neighbourhoods as a whole. In addition, the statistics for each individual neighbourhood are shown on the following page in order to provide a more localised presentation of the social and environmental issues.

Dog Fouling Drug Dealing Litter

4% 4% 20% 23% 26% 24% 33% 29%

26% 25% 47% 38%

Serious problem Problem - but not serious

Not a problem Does not apply/don't know

Fly-Tipping Vandalism

9% 8% 16% 12%

35% 42% 33% 45%

On average, the top three social and environmental problems which residents have raised serious concerns about are dog fouling, drug dealing, and litter. Meanwhile, around 50% or more of the respondents consider fly-tipping and vandalism to be problematic to a certain extent.

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DOG FOULING Dog fouling comes out as the biggest issue in all neighbourhoods except for Barton and Wood Farm, where only drug dealing raises more concerns.

Percentage of Respondents Believing Dog Fouling is a Problem

Serious Problem Problem but not serious

80% 70% 60% 37% 38% 39% 34% 43% 34% 50% 38% 40% 42% 30% 39% 20% 33% 34% 36% 32% 35% 24% 10% 20% 0%

LITTER Litter is identified as another major cause of poor street cleanliness. More than a quarter of the respondents from Rose Hill (27%) and the Leys (26%), note that there is a serious problem in their neighbourhood. Even in Northway, where the fewest people consider littering a problem, a combined 47% showed concerns about the issue.

Percentage of Respondents Believing Litter is a Problem

Serious Problem Problem but not serious

80% 70% 60% 50% 48% 54% 47% 49% 35% 40% 49% 42% 30% 38% 20% 22% 26% 22% 27% 10% 20% 15% 15% 9% 0%

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DRUG DEALING Drug dealing is the second most serious issue across the seven neighbourhoods, particularly in Barton (34%) and Wood Farm (25%).

Percentage of Respondents Believing Drug Dealing is a Problem

Serious Problem Problem but not serious

70% 60% 32% 50% 24% 40% 25% 24% 31% 20% 30% 22% 20% 34% 34% 18% 26% 28% 25% 10% 16% 19% 7% 0%

VANDALISM Although in most neighbourhoods, vandalism is not considered to be a serious issue by the majority of the respondents, the survey result still indicates that vandalism causes substantial discontent in areas such as Leys (67%), Littlemore (61%), Barton (60%) and Rose Hill (54%).

Percentage of Respondents Believing Vandalism is a Problem

Serious Problem Problem but not serious

70% 60% 50% 49% 40% 49% 47% 45% 44% 34% 30% 44% 20% 39% 10% 17% 11% 10% 14% 10% 15% 7% 1% 0%

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LOCAL TIP / HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING CENTRE About three out of five people reported they have used the local tip or household recycling centre in the past 12 months. Among the users, up to 78% had positive experiences with the service, and only less than 8% felt that the service needs more improvement.

Overall Respondents' Satisfaction with Household Recycling

3% 4% 5% Very satisfied 10% 35% Satisfied Neither/nor Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Don't know 43%

FLY-TIPPING In spite of the high satisfaction rate of the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) as shown above, fly-tipping emerges as one of the biggest problems in some of the neighbourhoods. Situations are quite worrisome in Barton, the Leys, Littlemore and Rose Hill.

Percentage of Respondents Believing Fly-Tipping is a Problem

Serious Problem Problem but not serious

70% 60%

50% 42% 40% 36% 15% 33% 39% 30% 27% 26% 26% 20% 31% 23% 10% 17% 18% 8% 13% 8% 13% 0%

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PARKS AND GREEN SPACES When asked about the parks and open spaces in Oxford, people responded very positively, with 34% “very satisfied” and 43% “fairly satisfied”.

Overall Respondents' Satisfaction with Oxford's Parks and Open Spaces

2% 3% 6%

12% 34% Very satisfied Satisfied Neither/nor Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Don't know

43%

Consistent with the high satisfaction rate of the local parks and green spaces, 35% of people make use of these places weekly, with 12% visiting 5 times or more.

Overall Respondents' Frequency of Parks and Green Spaces Usage

16% 12%

5 times a week or more 1-4 times a week 23% 2-3 times a month 22% 1-6 times a year Less than once a year

27%

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PERSONAL SAFETY “HOW SAFE OR UNSAFE DO YOU FEEL IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?” When asked about safety around their own neighbourhood, the respondents to this survey generally felt pretty safe during the daytime and when indoors. Nevertheless, the percentage of people feeling unsafe is as high as 21% outdoors after sunset.

Overall Respondents' Beliefs Concerning Safety

100%

80%

Very safe 60% Fairly safe 40% Neither safe nor unsafe Fairly unsafe 20% Very unsafe

0% Outdoors Indoors after Outdoors Indoors after dark dark during the during the day day The feelings of safety also changes accordingly between different neighbourhoods. Less than 10% of the respondents in Cutteslowe and Northway feel unsafe staying out during the night, while in the other five neighbourhoods, more than 20% of respondents feel fairly unsafe or very unsafe if not home before dark.

Respondents' Beliefs of Safety Outdoors after Dark

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% Very safe 50% Fairly safe 40% Neither safe nor unsafe 30% Fairly unsafe 20% Very unsafe 10% 0%

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However, the differences between neighbourhoods, in terms of whether or not the respondents have been victims of crime in the past year, do not completely correspond to this sentiment. The reasons for this discrepancy cannot be determined from this survey (beyond perhaps having had too small a sample size) and it will be interesting to look into conducting future surveys.

Victims of Crime and Feelings of Unsafety (Outdoors after Dark)

“DID YOU REPORT TO THE POLICE?” Of the 230 victims who participated in this survey, almost half of them (112 victims) did not report the crime to the police. Perhaps an indication of why only 51% of victims of crime reported to police lies in their feelings of satisfaction with police and local public services. Overall, only 46% of respondents, whether victims or not, strongly agree or agree that police and local public services are successfully dealing with issues of crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood.

Overall Percentage of Victims of Overall Percentage of Respondents' Believing Police Crime Reporting to Police and Local Public Services Successfully Deal with Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

5% 12% 12% Yes 49% 51% No 35% 36%

Strongly agree Agree Neither/nor

Disagree Strongly disagree

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This survey also asked for opinions on the trend of local safety over the course of the last 3 years. There appears to be significant improvement in Rose Hill, as almost 60% of the respondents think the area has become safer than it was three years ago; Littlemore, on the other hand, seems to have received more negative reviews on local security, with more than a quarter of respondents thinking it has become worse over the same period of time.

Respondents' Beliefs Concerning Crime and Safety During the Last 3 Years

100%

80%

60% No change A lot worse 40% Worse

20% Better A lot better 0%

Although the majority of respondents felt that their areas have not changed, got better or a lot better, crime and substance misuse can be improved. Focusing on the issues of vandalism and drug dealing is a starting point. Early intervention through programmes and partnerships could help reduce the appearance of such matters. Allowing young people to engage in activities that are positive and foster community spirit may bring about an environment of caring for the neighbourhood they live in.

Bringing about greater trust of local authorities is also important in the reduction of future crime. Faith in the police needs to improve allowing for an increase in those reporting to the authorities and more action to take place.

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HEALTH AND WELL-BEING SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTHINESS Question 44 asked respondents “in general, how would you rate your health in the last 12 months?” If we accept that the obvious subjectivity of this question does not rule it out as an indicator of the relative net perceptions of health across the seven wards, then the following picture emerges for the percentage of people identifying as in “very good” or “excellent” health:

Respondents' Beliefs of Their Health

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% Poor 50% Fair 40% Good 30% Very Good 20% Excellent 10% 0%

Littlemore is shown as the ward which considers itself to be in best health (49% identifying “very good” or “excellent”), while Barton and Northway sit at lower ratings (38% each).

Littlemore, it should be noted, is also the community from which the fewest respondents stated they were the recipients of means-tested benefits. The relationship between economic circumstances and perception of personal health is illustrated in the graph that follows.

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Respondents without Means Tested Benefit (Answering No or Not Applicable) versus Respondents with Excellent or Very Good Health

Without means tested benefit Excellent or very good health

100% 86% 90% 79% 74% 76% 80% 72% 71% 70% 70% 60% 60% 49% 50% 41% 42% 41% 38% 40% 38% 39% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All Barton Cutteslowe The Leys Littlemore Northway Rose Hill Wood Farm The graph reflects a reasonably strong correlation between the percentage of the community not dependent on benefit and positive self-perceptions of healthiness. The notable exception to this pattern is the Northway ward.

ALTERNATE PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTH

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A further, perhaps more reliable guide to the average health-levels across all seven wards can be ascertained from Question 45, which asks whether the respondent feels that their daily life is inhibited or limited by a health condition. Though, admittedly, this question still operates on a similarly subjective basis to Question 44, it does at least suggest whether or not certain members of the community feel they are impaired by their health to realise their potential. Whether or not this is actually the case, this measure can be considered, at the very least, a reasonable indicator of stress or despondence.

Respondents with a Limiting Health Condition Versus Respondents Giving Care

Limiting health condition Care-giving 43% 45%

40% 36% 35% 33% 35% 31% 31% 29% 30% 30% 25% 26% 27% 20% 24% 23% 22% 22% 15% 19% 10% 15% 5% 0% All Barton Cutteslowe The Leys Littlemore Northway Rose Hill Wood Farm Also overlaid on the above graph is the data for Question 62: Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long term physical or mental ill-health or disability, or problems related to old age?

It is apparent from this graph that there is little or no correlation between voluntary carers within communities, and the effect to which members of the community suffer from limiting and debilitating conditions.

Littlemore has the lowest percentage of debilitating health conditions (14.81% of respondents suffering a health condition “limiting daily activity”) tended to by the largest amount of voluntary support (48.61% of responders devoting 1hr + per week in care for a relative or friend).

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ISSUES AFFECTING HEALTH AND WELLBEING Diet The following two graphs present figures for the a) number of households in which fresh meals are prepared from raw ingredients at least four times a fortnight and b) the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed each day and: a) Fresh Meals versus Opportunity to Grow Fresh Food

100%

80% 60% 89% 40% 49% 51% 20%

0% 11% Eat freshly Has opportunity Eat freshly Does not have prepared food to grow fresh prepared food opportunity to >4 times a week food <4 times a week grow fresh food

b) Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables Consumed Daily

No. respondents of

Portions of fruit and vegetables (excluding potatoes)

It is apparent from the graphs that the majority of respondents are able to prepare fresh meals four times a week (89%) and that a sizeable minority are able to consume at least 3 vegetables a day, after which further consumption becomes increasingly difficult. The average consumed was 2.55.

Considering Graph (a), there is no correlation between the bars in green and those in red. The latter depict the number of respondents who were provided with the opportunity to grow fresh vegetables (49% in total). Given that 89% of respondents were still able to produce fresh meals, it seems there is a linkage between policies surrounding allotments or garden provision and quality of diet. Seemingly, this may well be rooted in the mind-set of respondents, as Question 36 possibly suggests. It asked, “If you answered no to the previous question [do you have the facility to grow fresh produce], would you like to be provided with that opportunity?” Of the 539 respondents, 37% answered yes – 199 in total. This figure equates to 17% of those surveyed.

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Smoking 20% of responders smoked, and 33% of households contained at least one smoker. Given the specific demographic targeted by the survey (only 0.97% of responders were below 18), this suggests that parents were often the individual within that family who smoked.

Overall Respondents' Smoking Habits

20% Yes, I smoke

Yes, another household member smokes 13% Nobody smokes

68% Don't know

However, it is worth noting that the only question which pertained to smoking – number 48 – was limited and superficial in its examination of smoking within households. It asked, “Does anyone in your household currently smoke?” It did not investigate the age of smokers, number (if more than one), or extent of smoking habits. As such, given the varied extent of smoking and the similarly disparate analysis of its effect on health, it is hard to draw any further conclusions.

In future surveys, it is recommended that this area be explored in more detail.

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Exercise The graph below shows the extent to which respondents exercised, across the average month.

Respondents’ Exercising Habits

% of respondents %

> 20 x 12 – 16 x 4 – 8 x 1 x < 1 x per month per month per month per month per month

Exercise done per month

The graph suggests a reasonably high degree of exercise – with up to 20 x a month (or more than 5 x a week) being common for 31% of the 972 respondents (admittedly a response figure slightly lower than average).

However, given the inclusion of activities such as “walking” and “gardening” within this category (the former by far the most popular activity favoured – 75%, and the latter – 31%) it is again difficult to ascertain the extent to which these pastimes – by comparison to cycling and running (27% and 12% respectively) - might actually benefit the health of the community. Respondents' Forms of Exercise

10%

Walking 31% Cycling 75% Running/Jogging 9% Swimming Dance 18% Gardening None 12% 27%

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EXPLANATORY FACTORS ECONOMIC WELL-BEING As has already been shown with regard to perceptions of healthiness, there is a strong correlation between economic well-being and the health of a particular ward. However, it is possible that this correlation may arise from responders who are economically deprived answering the question, “In general, how would you rate your health over the last twelve months” negatively for reasons of mental or other well-being issues surrounding unemployment, rather than strictly “physical” measures of health.

Health and Economic Well-Being

% of respondents % suffering from physical health issues

Economic well-being: % of respondents on means tested benefits

However, the graph above plots economic well-being on the X-axis, and then traces various physical health measures (as a percentage of the respondents) against it. Lines of best fit are shown too to give a statistically-significant indication of any correlation.

Community % receiving % identifying % consuming % with at % receiving benefit as in poor less than 4 least one exercising <1 health fresh meals a smoker in a month week family Barton 27.62 9.81 19.35 35.18 19.62 Cutteslowe 20.83 7.6 7.14 25.45 15.14 Littlemore 14.08 4.86 6.94 29.86 18.98 Leys 29.21 10.8 11.27 47.09 21.15 Northway 24.63 9.09 8.97 27.28 25.63 Rose Hill 39.74 10.71 9.88 31.33 18.18 Wood Farm 30.48 13.08 11.21 29.13 16.83

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As we have seen, the strongest correlation is between those identifying as in poor health, and those from deprived wards. Almost as strong is the correlation between figures for smokers and relative economic deprivation. This is perhaps unsurprising; however, it may well be that the “missing link” between the retention of smoking habits and poorer communities can be explained by education (see next section).

Less strong, but still positive, is the correlation between those consuming less than four fresh meals a week and relative economic deprivation. This link can perhaps be explained by the difficulty of paying for firstly, the fixed costs of home-cooking (gas, utensils, etc.) and secondly, the cost of quality, fresh ingredients versus cheaper, processed “ready meals” etc. Interestingly, the notable exception to this pattern is Rose Hill, which has the highest level of unemployment, but simultaneously, only the fourth highest percentage of families failing to produce four fresh meals a week.

Finally, there is little or no correlation between communities which have high levels of exercise and unemployment. This is extremely encouraging, and suggests that wealth has little effect on the capacity of individuals to enjoy an active lifestyle.

As seen from the survey, employment is important to health. The creation of employment is an issue that must be further examined. Apprenticeships help residents to continue with employment later on and should be encouraged with more programs available.

It must be noted that “economic well-being” is a measure derived solely from statistics about the percentage of the community receiving benefit. Realistically, more detailed data concerning exact financial circumstances would be too prying and, though crude, means-tested benefit is a reliable indicator of employment levels and the general assumption that can be made about the likelihood of poverty in that community

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EDUCATION A similar graph has been plotted to show the relationship between education and physical health. As before, on the Y-axis are figures for the percentage of a community suffering from a particular health issue. On the X-axis is the percentage of responders who left school with qualifications no higher than GCSEs. It would be a gross error to suppose that “education” is solely predicated upon more advanced qualifications and negate the importance of non-academic qualifications for career development.

However, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that in communities where there is very limited higher or further education, previous educational establishments may have in general failed to inspire or instil strong educational values, or perform to the level of institutions in academically higher-achieving areas. Health and Education

% of respondents % afflicted by health issues

Limited education: % of respondents leaving with only GCSEs as maximum qualification

For all four indicators of health (including the subjective question concerning how responders considered their health in general), there were positive correlations between poor physical well-being and limited education.

The strongest correlation existed between smoking and limited education. The analysis cannot be made much sophisticated, other than to confirm that poor education around the dangers and complications of smoking would presumably mitigate its effect as a prevalent health problem. It might be argued that where school-delivered education (i.e. GCSEs) was more effective, smoking was lower, and therefore school-based education about smoking might be similarly effective.

A similar conclusion, though less pronounced than smoking, can be made about the relationship between education and fresh and healthy diets.

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Communities such as Barton, in particular (19% of homes do not receive more than four fresh meals a week), could benefit from targeted ‘healthy eating’ programmes.

Further, launch initiatives that partner with educational establishments to re-enforce the importance of a healthy diet are in line with the Government’s “Five a Day” recommendations.

Finally, there is a strong correlation between successful education and a more active lifestyle. Programmes around sports and games will assist in the appreciation and understanding of the merits of exercise for health.

% consuming % with at %leaving % identifying less than 4 least one % receiving with GCSEs as in poor fresh meals a smoker in exercising <1 only health week family a month Barton 21.43 9.81 19.35 35.18 19.62 Cutteslowe 11.56 7.6 7.14 25.45 15.14 Littlemore 20.55 4.86 6.94 29.86 18.98 Leys 22.48 10.8 11.27 47.09 21.15 Northway 20.51 9.09 8.97 27.28 25.63 Rose Hill 23.26 10.71 9.88 31.33 18.18 Wood Farm 26.35 13.08 11.21 29.13 16.83

In general, educational attainment levels are in need of improvement. Providing young people with information about educational possibilities and funding may help the increase the likelihood of attaining higher education, past GCSEs. A well-educated community allows for employment to rise as skilled workers are more employable. As seen from the survey concerning eating and smoking habits, those with higher educations may be more likely to live a healthier life. Older generations should also be encouraged to seek higher levels of education. Possibilities for greater education for non-youths, such as funding opportunities and on-the-job training, should be advertised.

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TRANSPORTATION AND CONNECTIVITY TRANSPORT When asked about the main form of transportation used during the week, an equal number of people said they travelled to work by car and by bus with each method receiving one third of replies. The percentages of people who cycle and walk are 10.8% and 16.5% respectively. Respondents' Main Transportation

33.6% 33.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 16.5% 20.0% 15.0% 10.8% 10.0% 5.7% 5.0% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0%

Car (as driver) Car (as passenger) Bus Cycle Walk Train Motorbike/Moped

77% people said they are satisfied with the local bus service, including 40% very satisfied. Among bus riders, 35% hold a concessionary travel card. Concessionary Travel Card Holder?

INTERNET ACCESS 81.6% of respondents said that they had access to the internet (Question 40).

Access location At home 71.3% At work 8.2% Library/community centre 2.1% Other/none 18.2%

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THE CITY AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION Whilst general satisfaction with the city and county councils (questions 21-24) remains high, there appears to have been a certain sense of reluctance when articulating the concrete problems people have with the way the council runs things – it is noteworthy that only 264 people answered question 24 (‘If you are dissatisfied, what one thing would you change in how the council runs things?’), with 77% choosing to skip the question. This follows the trend of online surveys more generally, with those surveyed less likely to take the time to fill out long answer questions especially in long surveys, arguably exemplifying the need for the use of focus groups in acquiring more detailed answers for more qualitatively significant questions. It is worth noting that many of the statistically “most dissatisfied” residents surveyed (according to questions 21 to 23), often failed to provide reasoning beyond generic demands for lower taxes, more efficiency and so on.

In light of this limited engagement with the opportunity to articulate a grievance, it appears that more active communication is required between council and local residents. This point is reinforced by the findings of question 25 (‘How well informed do you feel about each of the following?...’), those that felt they were at least ‘fairly well informed’ were in a consistent minority with regards to everything but voting and how council tax is spent.

The responses to the question ‘How well informed do you feel about each of the following?’ Very well Fairly well Not very Not well Don't informed informed well informed know informed at all How and where to register to vote 52% 34% 7% 2% 4% How your council tax is spent 25% 46% 17% 7% 5% How you can get involved in local 8% 32% 33% 15% 12% decision-making What standard of service you should 11% 38% 30% 13% 8% expect from local public services How well public services are 8% 37% 34% 12% 8% performing How to complain about local public 10% 33% 33% 15% 9% services What to do in the event of large- scale emergency (e.g. Flooding, flu 7% 23% 33% 25% 13% epidemic, pandemic) Overall, how well informed do you 9% 41% 33% 12% 5% feel about local public services

The solution is perhaps a more rigorous and overt analysis of exactly what residents define as being “kept informed” and how they hope this might be achieved. Future surveys might benefit from a “tick box” analysis of the extent to which respondents feel able to use the council website, contact MPs and councillors, use libraries and know where local authorities are based.

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SPECIFIC GRIEVANCES From the 24% of respondents who used the option to articulate specific and particular concerns in their own words, there are two particular issues which seem to have generated particular angst, and improvement of which may lead to direct improvements in the quality of life of Oxford residents:

1) Roads and Parking Particular dissatisfaction is expressed with regards to streets on which residents need parking permits to park. Similarly, persisting potholes and poorly kept roads across all areas are a source of frustration for those surveyed.

More generally, this more or less follows the opinions expressed in question 4 which asks respondents to tick up to 5 areas they believed to be most important and up to 5 areas they believed need improvement. The top five issues raised are ranked in order of severity, in the table below.

Percentage Percentage Most Important of Needs Improvement of Respondents Respondents Public Transport 86.06% Road and Pavement Repairs 84.32% Access to Nature 85.92% Traffic 76.53% Parks and Open Areas 83.97% Wage Levels and Cost of Living 72.91% Education 82.24% Parking 70.88% Health Services 81.92% Activities for Teenagers 64.71%

2) Cleanliness of streets Those surveyed across all areas seem generally dissatisfied with regards to the cleanliness of streets in terms of litter, dog -fouling and overflowing public waste bins. One particular resident from Littlemore notes ‘We don't need a[n] xmas parade - we need cleaner streets!’

Other complaints revolve around the seemingly county-wide closure of leisure facilities/swimming pools, and, as mentioned above, some dissatisfaction with the level to which the Council kept them “informed”.

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EVALUATING THE SURVEY GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS, PROVISOS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE SURVEYS In considering the success of Oxford’s Quality of Life survey, it is important to recognise that a number of questions and response sets provide information that qualifies the rest of the survey and reveals some of its problems, and hence also provides a means of suggesting improvements for future surveys.

Notably, Question 1 gives useful insight into the success of distribution mechanisms.

Where Respondents Found the Survey

21% In the post Online 45% Through my child's school In my GP's office 17% At a community centre Other 2% 4% 12%

Of the responses received, it seems clear that mailed surveys were by far the most successful, forming nearly half of the total responses received (indeed this was consistent across different neighbourhoods).

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However, 5,560 surveys were sent by mail, of which 524 were returned, there hence being a 9.42% response rate. Whilst this is a good response rate, it still remains a fundamentally inefficient means of gathering responses. Looking at response rates on an area-by-area basis adds weight to this, as it seems to be the case that response rate is somewhat independent of how many houses mail surveys are sent to. Taking Wood Farm as an example, having had the second largest number of mail surveys posted to it, it still achieved the third poorest response rate.

Responses Received versus Surveys Mailed

Area Responses Received Mailed Surveys Barton 12 140 Cutteslowe 11 116 The Leys 6 72 Littlemore 6 36 Wood Farm 6 120 Northway 4 36 Rose Hill 3 36

Regardless, even Bristol, which achieves some of the highest response rates to its posted Quality of Life surveys, achieves only a 19% response rate.

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Looking somewhat deeper into the survey results, it also becomes important to consider the demographics that ultimately responded. For example, where the Oxford 2011 census sets the gender balance in the area as practically 1:1, responses to the Quality of Life survey have been heavily skewed by the fact that 63% of responses came from women and only 34% from men. The ages of respondents also contribute to the puzzle, as whilst there is a fairly balanced spread of responses across all age groups, this does not entirely reflect the spread of population measured in the 2011 census (which reveals a slightly more populous youth). And furthermore once again, the spread of ethnic origins and religions of responders is somewhat skewed, with 90% identifying as white British, compared with 64% in the 2011 census, and similarly 62% identifying as Christian in the survey as compared with 48% in the census. Furthermore as much as a quarter of those that responded identified as retired (Q60 ‘Which of these activities describes what you are doing at present?’), in contrast with the 2011 Oxford census, which finds fewer than 15% of residents of pensionable age, on average across the given areas.

Finally, the fact that 49% of those surveyed fall into stay-at-home categories, is quite telling: as might have been predicted, the nature of the survey (its length, the amount of time needed to be put into it in order to complete it and return it) meant that those who responded were those with the time to complete it. In this case then, the demographic that responded to the survey happens to correspond to white British middle-aged and above, Christian women.

It is ultimately therefore necessary to precondition the remainder of the findings in the team’s analysis of the Quality of Life survey, upon the fact that the results upon which it is based are not entirely balanced.

It is the feeling of the team that in future years, in order to achieve a more balanced response to the Quality of Life survey, selected focus groups might be used at first to supplement, and then perhaps to entirely replace the written survey itself, such that a wide but balanced spread of those in Oxford is achieved. This would isolate the survey from general responder apathy, as well as forcibly remove the problem of poor responses rates in some areas and amongst some social groups, and give a more accurate impression of quality of life across Oxford. It is, however, encouraging more generally that of those surveyed, in all areas, more than 70% of those surveyed are either very or fairly satisfied ‘…with [their] local area as a place to live’ (Question 3).

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