What you want our future to look like
WITH MORE than six months having passed since a national lockdown was levied on March 23, life in the UK has changed beyond recognition.
Employees have moved to working from home en masse, meeting up with over six people is now a crime enshrined in law and face mask wearing is mandatory in much of the public sphere.
All these changes have altered many people’s attitudes, priorities and lives, which is why we asked readers across West Sussex about what’s changed for you in our Big Conversation survey.
The survey looked at a range of issues surrounding the pandemic, including changes to personal lives, travel habits, health, employment, local life and fears and hopes for the post-pandemic world, as part of a national campaign by our company, Jpimedia.
This is what our community had to say.
Getting out and about
City and town centres have suffered, with a sustained drop in footfall even after March lockdown restrictions were lifted. The majority of respondents said they have visited their town or city centre ‘less’ (26.9 per cent) or ‘a lot less’ (40.6 per cent) than prior to lockdown. Just two per cent are visiting ‘more’, and 0.7 per cent ‘a lot more’.
Visiting beaches, parks and green spaces is an activity that 87.1 per cent of respondents felt either ‘comfortable’ or ‘very comfortable’ doing. In terms of ‘going on holidays or short breaks in the UK’, 56.3 per cent of West Sussex respondents said they were either ‘comfortable’ or ‘very comfortable’ doing it, much higher than the UK average in our survey of 21.46 per cent.
Visiting friends and family was an activity most felt comfortable doing, with 35.8 per cent feeling ‘very comfortable’ and 43.9 per cent ‘comfortable’ with the idea.
Confidence in taking public transport is low, with 74.5 per cent of respondents feeling either ‘not comfortable’ or ‘not at all comfortable’ with it.
Respondents were unsure sending their children back to school, with the majority – 42.7 per cent – saying they didn’t know or weren’t sure how comfortable they felt with the idea.
Personal life
Respondents voted ‘visiting family’ as the most important activity for a good quality of life – either pre- or postpandemic – at 77.7 per cent.
Visiting beaches and parks was a close second at 68.8 per cent, followed by eating at cafés/restaurants with 64.9 per cent and going on a holiday or short break in the UK at 47.7 per cent.
Almost two thirds of respondents are more thrifty since the pandemic, with 60.2 per cent saying they have cut spending. And while the high street may have suffered from a drop in footfall, local businesses have done well as a result of the crisis, with 46.9 per cent of respondents saying they are supporting local businesses more.
Getting online
Most respondents believe they’ve adapted to the move of many activities online well: 51.4 per cent ‘very well’ and 36.9 per cent ‘fairly well’.
For those who have struggled, the biggest problem – suffered by 57.5 per cent of respondents – was not having someone to turn to for help.
Employment
Atthetimeofthesurvey, 61.1 per cent of respondents were in paid work, followed by 28.9 per cent who were not. Just 3.6 per cent of respondents were on furlough.
Job security or income was a worry, with 39.6 per cent of respondents saying they were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about their job security or income; 50.8 per cent were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about personal or household finances.
Fears and hopes
The largest proportion of respondents – 85.7 per cent – said action to shift the work/life balance towards family and leisure time was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Greater flexibility to work from home and less emphasis on on-site working was deemed ‘ important’ or ‘very important’ by 76.6 per cent of respondents.
More affordable and carbon-neutral housing was deemed ‘ important’ or ‘very important’ to 66.3 per cent of respondents; 71 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: ‘The Christmas period will be a good opportunity to support local businesses’.
Theimpactof a second wave of coronavirus was a worry for 59.3 per cent of respondents.
The government’s ‘rule of six’ measure was deemed ‘not effective’ or ‘not at all effective’ in reducing the chances of a second wave by 73 per cent. Local life
Bin collection and recycling services were rated the highest quality service during the pandemic, with 83.2 per cent rating them ‘good’ or ‘very good’, with 57.7 per cent saying the same for emergency services. Social care services were deemed one of the lowest quality, with 19 per cent of respondents rating them ‘ good’ or ‘ very good’.
Almost two thirds – 63.4 per cent – of respondents believe
Respondents voted ‘visiting family’ as the most important activity for a good quality of life – either preor post-pandemic – at 77.7 per cent
local hospitals are most in need of increased spending, while 53.1 per cent said the emergency services are in need of increased spending.
Over a third – 37.8 per cent – believe their community has become stronger since the pandemic began, but the highest number – 40.7 per cent – say it has become neither weaker nor stronger.
While there was a wide age range of participants, the majority of those surveyed in the Big Conversation in West Sussex were aged 4554 – around 25 per cent. Women made up 72 per cent of respondents.