We’re in the wrong tier: Survey finds locals think county and city should be different
PEOPLE in Leicestershire think the area has been put in the wrong tier, but following the rules is key to lowering restrictions.
According to our latest survey, 39% of people who responded on Leicestershire Live think where they live is in the right tier as lockdown is lifted.
Of those who responded, 52% said they weren’t in the right tier and 9% weren’t sure.
Based on the survey, which received 2,053 responses, 61% think different parts of Leicester and Leicestershire should be in different tiers, while 37% think the whole area should be in Tier 3.
People in Leicestershire generally wouldn’t have preferred to have stayed in a national lockdown - 52% said we shouldn’t have, compared to 40% who said we should have.
When it comes to the restrictions imposed by the tier system, just 29% think they’re just right.
Of those who think they need adjusting, 38% said they are too tough and 33% said they’re not tough enough.
Asked what was most important going forward to ensure areas move into a lower tier, 71% said people needed to follow the rules.
They also thought it was important that people wore masks as they’re supposed to (65%), kept social distancing (64%), and self-isolated where appropriate (58%).
Other things that people thought might be helpful to drop a tier level were people being tested regularly (45%), hospitalisations continuing to fall (40%), and regular updates on the local situation so people can behave appropriately (44%).
The change to tiers has made 31% of respondents change their Christmas plans, while 56% haven’t and 13% haven’t settled on a plan yet.
Across Reach’s national and regional titles, just over half of those surveyed (54%) thought where they live was in the right tier. But 39% don’t think they’re in the right level of restrictions.
A similar proportion (52%) think leaving national lockdown was the right thing to do, compared to 39% who thought we should have stayed in.
Just under a quarter of people (23%) think the restrictions where they live are just right. People were slightly more likely (39%) to think they were too tough than not tough enough (37%).
As tiers come into force, nearly a third (31%) of people nationally said they have changed their Christmas plans as a result, although 57% haven’t.
With 99% of the population now in Tier 2 or 3, following the rules was cited most often (68%) as the key to staying in their current Tier or moving down to one with lighter restrictions.
Other things that people thought would help were social distancing (64%), wearing a mask (63%), and self-isolating when needed (60%).