The main source of data for this topic is the Citizenship Survey. Approximately 15,000 adults in England and Wales are asked questions covering a range of issues, including race equality, faith, feelings about their community, volunteering and participation.
Publications
Presents labour market data for local areas in Wales in a rolling four-quarter series and is the primary source for such local area information.
This report looks at civic engagement, volunteering and charitable giving using findings from Citizenship Survey. This report has been re-packaged from previous years, and includes similar topic areas to the Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report and Empowered Communities Topic Report published in previous years.
This report examines attitudes towards local neighbourhoods and the local area, community cohesion, social networks, and people’s interactions with people from different backgrounds using findings from the Citizenship Survey.
This report looks at people's views of their communities, their neighbourhoods, and their local areas using findings from the Citizenship Survey. This report has been re-packaged from previous years, and includes similar topic areas to the Community Cohesion Topic Report published in previous years.
This report looks at the extent to which people actually participate in and influence local or national conditions and decisions and the extent to which they feel able to influence decision making using findings from the Citizenship Survey.
Headline findings from the Citizenship Survey
This report examines attitudes to immigration, values, identity and sense of belonging to Britain using findings from the Citizenship Survey.
This report explores views about racial and religious prejudice, perceptions of racial discrimination by public service organisations, and experiences of religious and employment-related discrimination using findings from the Citizenship Survey.
This report describes the methodology of the Citizenship Survey.
This report looks at people's involvement in volunteering activities and charitable giving using findings from the Citizenship Survey.
The Community Life Survey is designed to track the latest trends and developments across areas key to encouraging social action and empowering communities. Topics covered include social action, community engagement and charitable giving.
The Bulletin provides summary information as well as some trend data from previous years. It includes information on - smoking, household composition, debt, internet access, health, sport and leisure, environmental issues, mobile phones and job applications.
Provides a variety of indicators measuring the gender equality situation in Northern Ireland
The report is a compendium of indicators on community relations and includes statistics on hate crimes; attitudinal data on Protestant/Catholic relations; parades statistics and levels of prejudice towards ethnic minorities. The indicators demonstrate the state of good relations in Northern Ireland and monitor progress over time.
Presents a selection of results for the Living in Wales Survey.
Statistics on Attitudes to the Environment in Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Concessionary Fares and Access to Buses in Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Care in Wales taken from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on discrimination, harassment and victimisation for Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Internet Usage for Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Overcrowding in Wales for Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Public Transport Use for Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
Statistics on Social Attitudes for Wales from the Living in Wales Survey.
Statistics on Travel to Work and School for Wales from the Living in Wales Survey.
Statistics on the Walking and Cycling trends for Wales from the Living in Wales survey.
The Place Survey collects the views of people on a range of issues concerning the place they live. Its results are used to measure progress on National Indicators in the Local Performance Framework.
Overview
The Citizenship Survey is designed to contribute to Communities and Local Government’s evidence base on promoting community cohesion and equality. It includes questions about a number of topics covering: local area, community cohesion, racial and religious prejudice and discrimination, values, interaction/mixing, political efficacy, civic engagement, volunteering and charitable giving. It also collects demographic data and background information about respondents.
Headline findings are released through a series of quarterly Statistical Releases and once a year, a full set of reports is produced, providing a detailed breakdown of findings from the full survey. The data are also made available through the UK data archive and are used as part of a programme of ongoing analysis to maximise the value from the survey in informing policy development and implementation.
It is a well established tool for measuring achievement against a wide range of targets, both within Communities and Local Government and across government. The survey is used to measure a number of indicators supporting the Cohesive, Empowered and Active Communities and the Equalities Public Service Agreements (PSA21 & PSA15), as well as a large number of Communities and Local Government Departmental Strategic Objective indicators.
The surveys are used by the Office of the Third Sector, Government Equalities Office and Home Office and by other government departments, local government and academics.
Technical Data
The Citizenship Survey, run by the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of Communities and Local Government, is a household survey covering a representative core sample of 10,000 adults in England and Wales each year.
There is also a minority ethnic boost sample of 5,000 to ensure that the views of these groups are robustly represented. It asks about a range of issues including views about the local area, community cohesion, racial and religious prejudice and discrimination, values, interaction/mixing, political efficacy, civic engagement, volunteering and charitable giving.
The survey was first run every two years (from 2001) but since 2007 has moved to a continuous design, allowing the provision of headline findings on a quarterly basis.
The data are collected through face-to-face interviews. A two-phase sampling design is used to obtain the sample of addresses for the Citizenship Survey. At the first stage, a random sample of (grouped) wards was selected and at the second stage addresses were sampled within the selected wards from the postcode address file (PAF).
The data are weighted to correct for unequal sampling probabilities and non-response by sub-group. The weighting ensures that the sample matches the 2001 Census population figures in terms of their age, sex and regional distribution.
Glossary
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Civic activism
Involvement either in direct decision-making about local services or issues, or in the actual provision of these services by taking on a role such as a local councillor, school governor or magistrate.
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Civic consultation
Active engagement in consultation about local services or issues through activities such as attending a consultation group or completing a questionnaire about these services.
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Civic participation
Engaging in one of the following activities:Contacting a local councillor, Member of Parliament, member of the Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales; contacting a public official working for a local council, central government, Greater London Assembly or National Assembly for Wales; attending a public meeting or rally; taking part in a public demonstration or protest; or signing a petition.
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Community cohesion
The key community cohesion indicator used in the Statistical Release is the proportion of people who agree that their local area (defined as 15-20 minutes walking distance) is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. Note: In the 2007 Spending Review period, PSA 21 defines ‘community cohesion’ more broadly. There are three cohesion indicators in this PSA: the percentage of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area; the percentage of people who have meaningful interactions with people from different backgrounds; and the percentage of people who feel that they belong to their neighbourhood.
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Criminal justice system organisations
These are the police, the Prison Service, the courts, Crown Prosecution Service and Probation Service.
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Formal volunteering
Giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment.
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Groups at risk of social exclusion
Defined as those belonging to black and minority ethnic groups, people with no formal qualifications or people who have a disability or limiting, long-term illness.
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Informal volunteering
Giving unpaid help as an individual to people who are not relatives.
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Meaningful interaction
Respondents are asked how many times they have mixed socially with people from different ethnic and religious groups to themselves in different areas of their lives. Mixing socially is defined as 'mixing with people on a personal level by having informal conversations with them at, for example, the shops, your work or a child’s school, as well as meeting up with people to socialise'. However, it excludes 'situations where you’ve interacted with people for work or business, for example just to buy something.
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Regular volunteering
Defined as involvement at least once a month over the year before interview.
Contact Details
For statistical enquiries about this topic, please contact:
Communities and Local Governmen
Email: citizenship.survey@communities.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7944 5168
Zone 7/E8, Eland House Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU
