Living in Lancashire wave 33
| Purpose | This wave of Living in Lancashire looked at people's views on leisure and culture, the council's newpaper Vision, and Help Direct. |
|---|---|
| Subject |
Libraries Museums and the arts Communications |
| Commissioned by | Corporate Research and Intelligence Team |
| Geographic area |
All of Lancashire |
|---|---|
| Method |
Questionnaire - online Questionnaire - postal |
| Consultation with |
Life in Lancashire panel |
| Date | 08/06/2011 - 15/07/2011 |
| Undertaken by | Corporate Research and Intelligence Team |
Results
| Number in sample | 3283 |
|---|---|
| Number of responses | 2311 |
| Response rate | 70% |
| Key findings | Leisure and culture - When panel members were asked to think about leisure and culture in Lancashire they most frequently identified parks and open spaces (81%), countryside (73%), sports and leisure facilities (66%), museums (59%), libraries (58%), and local tourist attractions (57%). - Respondents feel that leisure and culture is both good for them personally, with 86% agreeing leisure and culture has a positive impact on their life, and good for the county as a whole, with 86% agreeing leisure and culture help make Lancashire an attractive place to live, and 77% agreeing leisure and culture bring additional tourism to Lancashire. - Almost three fifths of respondents or a member of their household have visited libraries in Lancashire at least three times in the last 12 months (57%), with 37% visiting at least once a month. - The main reasons for not visiting libraries are that respondents prefer to buy books (45%), use the internet to get their information (43%) or are too busy (23%). - While traditional library activities such as borrowing books (84%) and using the library as a resource for research (31%) remain the most common, respondents also visited libraries for other reasons, for example 21% use the internet in the library, 17% borrow CDs and DVDs and 11% take their child to an activity. - Nearly a quarter of respondents, or a member of their household, have visited museums at least three times in the last 12 months (23%). For over half of respondents, no one in their household has visited museums in the past year (54%). - Respondents have not visited museums for a number of reasons. Over a quarter have visited them in the past and didn't want to revisit them (27%). Around a fifth are not aware of what museums have for them to look at (21%) and a further fifth say they are not interested in museums in Lancashire (20%). - Over half of respondents visit museums to see a specific exhibition (52%) or for a day out (51%). - Over half of respondents feel it is most important that the county council fund traditional activities (53%) and the theatre (52%). Nearly half of respondents feel it is important for the county council to fund art galleries (47%). - Only 8% of respondents think the county council should not fund any cultural activities. Help Direct - Awareness of Help Direct has increased amongst panel members from 10% in wave 26 (2009) to 22% in this wave (2011). - A quarter of respondents who have heard of Help Direct heard about it through the Help Direct leaflet or through work (25% for both). - Of the respondents who have heard of Help Direct only 12% have used the service. - Around three fifths of respondents who have used Help Direct were very satisfied with the service that they received (62%), while only 15% were dissatisfied. - Around half of respondents would recommend Help Direct to friends and family (49%) while 43% don't know if they would recommend it. - Two thirds of respondents would contact Help Direct if they experience difficulties in the future (65%). Vision - Half of respondents received the last edition of Vision (49%), but a quarter of respondents couldn't remember if they had received it (24%). - Over half of respondents read at least a few articles in Vision (54%), with 30% reading all, or nearly all of it. - Half of respondents agree that Vision lets them know what the county council is doing in their area (50%). - Two fifths of respondents agree that Vision is well designed (38%). - A quarter of respondents find out more about the county council from their local paper than from Vision (25%). - Only 18% of respondents agree that they would miss Vision if it was not delivered. Respondents aged over 60 are more likely to miss Vision if it wasn't delivered (27%). |
| Outcomes | Leisure and culture Around half of you thought that we should fund art galleries. Although we don't currently fund any art galleries, some of the museums and libraries that we run have art related exhibitions, so we will make sure we promote these more widely in the future. In order to promote some of the other things libraries have to offer, we ran a pilot poster campaign in West Lancashire. Museum visits were lower among those of you from a black minority ethnic (BME) background. Our recently opened Museum of Lancashire has worked very closely with local community groups including BME groups in developing its offer and we hope to use this approach with our other museums in future. We already promote museums but we are going to put more emphasis on promoting new exhibits and exhibitions. Vision As less than half of you received the last edition, in spite of a complicated and expensive mailing system, we have decided that the next edition of Vision will not be delivered directly to people's homes but will be made available from a series of pick-up points in public buildings across the county. Alongside the changes to Vision, we are also planning to revamp how news is presented on our website and to introduce a regular email newsletter, which people can subscribe to. |
Project document(s)
Report(s)
Questionnaire(s)
Contact information
For more information about this research contact:
Melissa Sherliker
01772 535019
Email: haveyoursay@lancashire.gov.uk