Residents' Pulse Survey

The image above is a collage of pictures from residents, which have all been shared on our Instagram channel @southendbc

The Residents’ Pulse Survey ran for six weeks from the 4^th December 2020, and gathered 152 responses. It was a short survey, comprising four closed questions and three free-text essay questions. It was designed to function as a snapshot of residents’ perceptions, experiences, and ideas at a point in time.

The survey asked:

• What are the main things you feel have changed for the better since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began?
• Have you felt more connected to your local area / community since the pandemic began?
• How could you and your community make the most of any positive changes you have seen since the pandemic began?
• What things have affected you most since the pandemic began?
• How confident or concerned are you that you will be able to recover financially from the pandemic?
• How can we all support each other to stay well during and after the pandemic?
• What types of support do you think will be most important to help you and your community recover from the pandemic?

It is important to note that the findings are not fully representative of the population of Southend, since certain groups were underrepresented.

Of those respondents that elected to answer the survey's demographic questions,

• 89.7% were White British
• 58.5% were employed
• 4% were aged 75+
• none were young people aged 16-24.

Summary Findings

The main things that respondents felt had changed for the better were:

• cleaner air outdoors (19.6%)
• spending less money (14%)
• less time spent commuting to work (12.3%)
• a stronger sense of community in their local area (11.5%).

44.2% of respondents felt more or much more connected to their local area / community since the pandemic began.

57.7% were confident or fairly confident that they would be able to recover financially from the pandemic. 16.1% felt they had not been affected financially, and 8% were very concerned that they would not be able to recover financially.

50.5% of respondents felt that financial support, particularly for local businesses, was key in helping communities recover.

“Worries about my own / my family’s / my community’s future” (51.6%) and “feeling lonely or isolated, missing friends and family” (45.6%) were inevitably experienced by respondents across the board, as they are directly connected to Government restrictions and the implications of the pandemic. Where respondents had identified “Other” things (7%) that had affected them, the following were frequently mentioned in their comments:

• feeling angered by people breaking restrictions in their local area
• the challenges of homeschooling
• anxiety about noise pollution increasing once flights from the Airport resume
• missing socialising and going to cultural events and attractions
• the lack of clarity about, and frequent changes to, Government restrictions.

Showing empathy and kindness, ensuring any Government restrictions are followed, and taking personal responsibility for one’s health are the key things respondents felt we can all do to support each other to stay well during and after the pandemic.

Respondents showed a willingness to embrace change, particularly if it involved positive effects on the environment, supporting local businesses, and supporting vulnerable people.

Supporting vulnerable people, children, and the elderly to thrive in a “new normal” was recognised as being necessary to the recovery of the borough.

The following were thought to be necessary to helping the borough maintain the (unintended) positive environmental impacts of the pandemic:

• protecting and improving our green and open spaces
• maintaining improvements to air quality
• nurturing flora and fauna by making changes to human habits and spaces
• encouraging sustainable travel by making improvements to our transport infrastructure.

Changes relating to government restrictions, such as social distancing, wearing masks, etc., have obviously been experienced by most people regardless of their specific circumstances. However, changes experiences in areas such as retail habits, increased leisure time, flexible working, community spirit, time to volunteer, etc., have only been experienced by some.

Next Steps

 A full, representative Residents’ Perception Survey will be carried out in June 2021 to further understand residents' views on issues such as what they think of the council’s services, whether they feel they can influence decisions that affect them and their local area, what their experiences of living in Southend are, and their priorities and aspirations for the future.

For more information on the council’s Residents’ Surveys, or other relevant national surveys and research, please contact the Data & Insights team: