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Information for effective decision making:
How Wolverhampton made use of quantitative opinion research |
Background |
As part of its stock options appraisal, Wolverhampton City Council had consulted its tenants and leaseholders on the options for securing the £287 million needed to reach the decent homes standard by 2010. It concluded that the best way forward was to recommend an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) to manage its 27,000 homes. Furthermore, the Council agreed to hold a formal ballot to be sure that tenants were in support.
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Survey Methodology
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It was decided to commission research that would inform and support the consultation process, identifying key issues and concerns that the Council could respond to. The research was planned in three phases: Base survey, tracking and exit poll.
The aim was to capture the status of opinion before the detailed consultation was launched and then to track opinions as the consultation process progressed. The survey was based on a representative sample of 2000 tenants and leaseholders who were surveyed by telephone and face-to-face methods, producing results with a statistical accuracy of 2.5%.
The results of the base survey made it clear that opinion was undecided and only 51% of tenants and leaseholders were aware of the proposal. |
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Key Insights |
Of particular value was an analysis of the media that tenants and leaseholders preferred to use to get information from the Council. Quite clearly, letters and newsletters - whether read or not - were the most effective means. This directly influenced planning for the campaign and ensured effective use of resources. |
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The ability to cross-tabulate information within the survey made it possible to generate powerful insights. By looking at opinions within each awareness band it became clear that tenants who were aware of the process were much more likely to have formed an opinion. This piece of knowledge was a vital element of campaign plan: If awareness leads to opinion, build awareness. |
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More important was the impact on tenants’ views, as evidenced by their voting intentions. After a slow start, a gap began to emerge between the ‘yes’ and ‘don’t know’ responses, indicating that as tenants and leaseholders received information, they often developed an opinion - normally in agreement with the proposal. This process was evident with peaks in weeks 2 and 4, which corresponded directly with the receipt of the campaign newsletters.
Reassuringly for the Council, throughout the period there was never any significant increase in the ‘no’ vote, which remained below 10% throughout. |
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The decision to ballot |
By week 6 it was clear that a steady state had been reached:
- awareness had risen to 80%
- switching between voting intentions had fallen dramatically
- all opinions were more strongly held than at any previous time
The Council was therefore able to make the decision to launch the ballot with full confidence that the information campaign had achieved its goal and that the outcome would be favourable.
The final result of an independently-operated ballot was 84% in favour of the Council’s proposal.
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