Business worries clear by results of island survey
A community survey carried out last weekend to give islanders a chance to express their views on a range of topics surrounding the coronavirus pandemic attracted nearly 900 responses.
Worryingly a quarter of businesses responding felt they needed visitor numbers to be at least 75 per cent of 2019 in order to survive, with more than 19 per cent saying they at least needed to match 2019. Almost 80 per cent felt that their capacity to provide a service would be impacted by the new government route map plan.
The survey was undertaken by various organisations on the island to look at Arran after COVID-19. The survey, We Are Arran: Safe Responsible Sustainable is now closed and was completed 894 times online. Responses from paper copies have still to be added in to this figure, which will be completed in the coming days.
As things stand, at present, nearly 60 per cent of respondents believed that the ferry should meet demands of both residents and visitors, whilst nearly 40 per cent felt it should primarily meet residential needs.
There was little change in how people believe the community works together before and after COVID-19 - but during the pandemic the scoring was very high, showing that Arran definitely pulls together in a crisis.
People feel their physical health has improved, with many taking up gardening, walking, running and other exercise, and although time was cited as being a potential constraint for many after the pandemic, 424 walkers and cyclists will continue to do so for pro-environmental reasons. Optimism on environment scored especially highly during coronavirus. More than 660 people, 74 per cent, felt a more regular bus service and improved active travel infrastructure would encourage them to use their car less on Arran.
Concerns about the ‘new normal’ included health and safety in general (574 people), and 324 people were concerned about job security following COVID-19.
There is a great deal of qualitative and quantitative data still to be collated, and a more substantial report is expected to follow in due course.