We work to get a clear understanding of the issues which affect and concern parents. We carry out research and surveys which help us get the clearest picture possible of family life in Britain today.

Families and neighbourhoods, October 2007
Parents of under 5's, March 2007
Where do parents turn for advice? March 2006

 

Families and Neighbourhoods: YouGov, October 2007

How much parents earn in England has a dramatic effect on how they view their neighbourhood and whether they believe they are able to do the best for their families.

Only 35 per cent of those on the lowest incomes feel confident that their neighbourhood can provide the best opportunities for their family, compared to 73 per cent of the richest.

These are the findings of a new report published by the Family and Parenting Institute, based on a YouGov survey of over 2,000 parents. The report also highlights that the poorer families are, the less likely they are to have access to a pleasant well-maintained green space, to feel safe in their neighbourhood at night or even have confidence that neighbours would help them out in a crisis. Other findings from the study include:

  • Families in rural areas have very different needs from those in more urban areas. For instance a quarter of parents who live in the countryside say that better public transport is the one thing that would improve their neighbourhood the most for families, and a further 17 per cent chose reducing traffic as their number one priority. In urban areas parents are much less concerned about traffic and more worried about reducing crime and anti-social behaviour (50 per cent in the inner cities).
  • More organised activities for children and young people was consistently seen as a priority by parents from all walks of life (23 per cent overall). Some respondents commented on how teenagers effectively took over the streets at night
  • Parents who live in London are more likely to be active in their community than parents in other parts of the country – 44 per cent in London compared to 34 per cent overall. Those least likely to be involved in their community live in the north east (26 per cent) and the west midlands (28 per cent)
  • But parents who live in London are also the least likely to be confident in the quality of their local state school (52 per cent). Those in Yorkshire and The Humber and the North East jointly had the most confidence in their local state school (73 per cent). Overall, 66 per cent of parents are confident in the quality of their local state school and 71 per cent would be happy to send their children there.
  • The average time for a family to have lived in their neighbourhood is just over seven and a half years. Only five per cent of parents in England had lived in the same neighbourhood all their lives
  • However, more than half of all families (56%) had at least one set of grandparents living within a 15 to 20 minute journey from them . This was highest in the north east (69 per cent) and lowest in London (40 per cent). This might explain the fact that parents in the north east rely less on their neighbours to water their plants when they are away (47 per cent) than families in London (59 per cent).

To download the full results of this survey click Icon: Acrobat PDFhere Icon: Link to another website

 

Parents Of Under 5s: YouGov Survey For FPI, March 2007
The 'Parents of Under 5's' bespoke survey was commissioned by the Family and Parenting Institute in order to better understand parents' feelings and/or opinions towards health visitors in England.
The key objectives of the survey were to understand the type of relationships that new parents have with their health visitors and to what degree they feel that they are a useful service.
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Where do parents turn for advice? An overview of research findings at the Family and Parenting Institute, March 2006
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To see details of other surveys we have carried out - please click here.

Last updated: 13th December 2007 at 03:12:17