Mercator Market Research - Attitudes to Tidy Towns

MERCATOR MARKET RESEARCH - ATTITUDES TO TIDY TOWNS

INTRODUCTION

This document presents the findings of a qualitative study commissioned by SuperValu Supermarkets and the Department of the Environment to investigate attitudes to the Tidy Towns competition and to better understand how it affects the lives of people in different types of communities.

It comprised six group discussions with ordinary citizens in different parts of the country and two with committees who are responsible for coordinating effort in their locality.

The groups took place in: Kilkenny
Ferbane
Duleek
Horseleap
Ballinteer
Ballyfermot
Carrickmacross (Committee)
Grange Con (Committee)

The discussions took place in September and October 1999

RECOMMENDATIONS

There are a number of recommendations we would make in the light of our findings. On a general level we would suggest the following:

• This is a competition that has enormous possibilities to become a more relevant and pervasive feature of Irish society but it will need very substantial investment to realise its full potential
• A strong Tidy Towns culture is not just a way of keeping streets clean; it is ultimately a way of improving the mood of the nation. In itself it is a valuable step towards regeneration and nurturing of economic effort at a local level and lots of good local Tidy Towns initiatives across the state amount to a nation that is deepening the roots of its own prosperity.
• It is very difficult for areas within cities like Dublin to feel that they are genuinely a part of the competition's target market. In areas where there is particular economic hardship we would suggest that effort at improving participation would be wasted without a dramatic improvement in their lot and the control of local crime and vandalism. It may well be that in these areas it would only be possible to consider entry from very small areas such as housing estates where people feel that they can control their own destiny to some degree. Larger areas lack the natural borders to make people feel a sense of ownership and this is complicated by the presence of through roads which are impossible to control.
• In general the ideal model would be to have towns or areas where everyone plays their own small part though not necessarily as part of a committee, with a champion of the cause on every street and with the whole effort aided by the local authorities.
• It may almost be necessary for committees to distinguish between their own work and that done at a very local level in that it does not seem that people want to be drawn into committee work because they have other commitments but that does not mean that they cannot do their own part motivated, at the very least by 'keeping up with the Joneses'.

Turning now to the sponsors of this study we would suggest to the Department of the Environment that;

• Strong and sympathetic local authorities are a vital component in the success of Tidy Towns. With their support and involvement the sky is the limit as Kilkenny have demonstrated. Without it the effort is reduced to squabbling over who should be allowed to sweep up litter.
• Relatedly, the allocation of Fas workers seems to be perennially contentious and the impression is that these people are allocated to the towns that shout loudest as opposed to those who have greatest need.
• The personnel of the Department charged with monitoring and managing Tidy Towns have done trojan work in the past and need continued support and investment.
• It is incumbent on the Department to take ownership of this competition because at present a disproportionate amount of what might be termed default kudos is accruing to Bord Failte.
• Without wishing to disenfranchise the committees, any initiative that enhances the sense of involvement for the man or woman on the street would be worthwhile.

To SuperValu we would suggest that;

• Awareness of SuperValu as the major sponsor of the competition is poor and the time has come to either substantially increase resources to harvesting investment to date or to withdraw from the sponsorship.
• The commitment of retailers is vital to the credibility of the sponsorship. As the owner of a key retail premises, often on the main street of the town, retailers have an opportunity to fly the SuperValu flag in practice as well as in spirit.

ATTITUDES TO TIDY TOWNS

While attitudes towards the Tidy Towns competition are in general positive most people did not demonstrate any great depth of understanding of what it entailed, how it was run or who was involved in it. The relatively modest of information they hold on the subject is gathered from a variety of sources including local and national media, the efforts of local committees and their meetings and, around judging and decision time especially, word-of-mouth.

Often we found that understanding was limited to the words 'tidy towns' and there was a widespread assumption that it was an exercise largely directed by Bord Failte to enhance tourism which is probably no surprise given this body's legacy.

By contrast there seemed to be relatively limited appreciation of the role of SuperValu or the Department of the Environment and we would suggest that there is much work to be done in this regard.

For many of the people we spoke to there was a natural logic to the competition being under the remit of Bord Failte. People simply held the view that it is in the interest of tourism to beautify a town and as such Bord Failte were the body that would most likely endorse such a competition.

One woman to whom we spoke described Tidy Towns as follows; "They look after the roads on to the main street, you know, so that there is no litter. And they plant flowers and put up hanging baskets".

This quote sums up many people's attitudes to Tidy Towns, it is a competition designed to "beautify" the main thoroughfares of a town so that is is more attractive to tourists. Thus, the Bord Failte link is firmly established.

On the evidence of this research the Tidy Towns initiative is most strongly linked with litter prevention. Indeed, the people we spoke to indicated that the biggest environmental problem they had with their locality is litter. There is, as such, a clear desire among people to prevent litter from ruining their natural environment and to that end Tidy Towns is welcome.

At their most philosophical, the participants in this study pointed out that they have a broad definition of what makes a town or area an attractive place to live. Certainly the absence of litter helps but at a deeper level a sense of feeling at home in a community is fundamental and this can be augmented by good natural amenities, a good local economy and in the present climate a good management of population growth.

In this sense there is no argument with the breadth of criteria considered in the Tidy Town judging but not everyone would be familiar with this level of detail in relation to the competition.

In turn, the phrase 'Caring for our Environment' sits well with people but, like the judging criteria, awareness of it would not appear to be high. (We did not encounter any negative comment on over-enthusiastic trimming of greenery as a criticism of the competition though we understand that there have been some anecdotal reservations in this regard.)

INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMPETITION

While it is clear that many people get involved in the competition at a local level it also emerges that it is passing many people by. We found strong evidence of a sense of dislocation from Tidy Towns, with people feeling that while it affected their community it did not affect them directly both because it did not touch their lives and because they were not involved in it administratively.

The local organising committee have an important role to play in creating a more inclusive culture and, as things stand, the attitude being expressed is that committee members tend to be "the same old faces".

Such a situation has dangers for the perception of the competition at a local level, as there is a risk of it being perceived as a being run by a "clique" and so "not for me". If this is the case then clearly a town's inhabitants may simply become disenfranchised and not wish to become engaged in the activities of the committee.

It seems that in larger communities and particularly in Dublin there is a tendency to see Tidy Towns as excluding cities - if only by definition - although Kilkenny feel no such reservations. The image nonetheless of Tidy Towns, even among medium-sized towns, is that it tends to favour smaller towns and villages with picture post-card scenery.

THE IMPACT OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

As far as the mechanics of the competition are concerned, then, the size of the town or area in which one lives and its natural beauty and charm are regarded as key considerations in competing to any worthwhile degree in the competition.

The people to whom we spoke in Kilkenny, for example, were quick to point out that by virtue of their rich history and handsome buildings - and a sympathetic council active in the Tidy Towns administration - they were in an immediately stronger position. They also noted however that a strong local economy is a good starting point for a Tidy Towns initiative and that relative to a neighbouring town such as Carrick-on-Suir, they were in a stronger position in economic and aesthetic terms.

Put simply, people in a suburb of Dublin feel they can't compete with a rural town, as a result they feel left out of the competition. Equally, people in certain rural towns and villages openly recognise the advantages that neighbouring towns have and they feel they can't compete. As a result the motivation to compete is diminished simply because people perceive the competition to implicitly exclude them.

If the competition is going to be inclusive of all areas in the country these differences must be considered. The inclusion of a most improved town category is a useful step in the right direction.

Importantly, however, it is not important for a town to win to feel motivated to continue, however desirable a victory might be. It is simply enough that they give a good account of themselves and can go back to fight another year against other towns which they come to regard as their rivals and reference points. This is the true Tidy Towns ethos where there is enough reward in simply participating.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS

Socio-economic factors have a substantial impact on people's attitudes towards the competition. If a town is prosperous there may be more of a predisposition to take part in the competition, buoyed by the ensuing local self-confidence. In areas with economic problems, however, there is less likelihood of people being interested in the competition. Thus, in areas with high unemployment and other social problems there is a sense of dislocation and exclusion from the competition.

Sadly this feeling of dislocation is particularly acute when an area is very disadvantaged and people from Ballyfermot told us that crime is so pervasive in their community that an entry to Tidy Towns is a very lofty ambition when so many social and economic fundamentals are not in place. There is an overwhelming sense that any move to improve the area's environment will be futile because of general crime and vandalism.

Equally, for the people of Ballinteer to whom we spoke, all roads lead literally and conversationally to the extension of the M50 through their community and it is difficult to be thinking about hanging baskets when the area is over-run with construction traffic.

Leaving aside Dublin's particular difficulties, however, the most striking finding of this research in many ways is that the extent to which the Tidy Towns ethic has been embraced by a community is almost a barometer for the well-being of the town or area in question.

At its best then the Tidy Towns competition can be the starting point in what becomes a chain reaction of economic progress within the given community. In very simplistic terms, the equation works in a self-sustaining way, and in ever-increasing circles as follows;

• a pleasant town, nurtured by a Tidy Town initiative and culture..
• attracts inward investment drawn by being a nice place to live and do business..
• raising the prosperity of the town..
• galvanising the community further..
• re-doubling the Tidy Town enthusiasm and..
• starting the cycle over again

It is, however, a delicate balance and an economic body-blow such as the closure of a major employer in the area will knock the equation back by years in terms of its 'maturity'.

The support of local business was also very much viewed as an integral part of success in the competition particularly from a committee perspective. In a sense the number of businesses in an area is a double edged sword for people trying to maintain their environment. There is a recognition that inward investment is important to the dynamic of a town and thus help to improve the local environment but if the local business people do not become engaged in the competition there is a sense that the whole Tidy Towns initiative is been taken less seriously.

THE ROLE OF COMMITTEES AND CHAMPIONS ON THE GROUND

The leadership of one person in a community has the capacity to galvanise in a way that is almost reminiscent of a major sporting occasion. For example, the group discussion in Ferbane revealed how the Tidy Towns committee was led by one woman and when the woman moved away the whole effort suffered to the point of collapse. So the success of a town is very much dependent upon 'champions' of the cause at a local level.

For those who co-ordinate a town's effort, the work is bordering on the vocational and our impression is of groups who while zealous in their commitment and effective in their work can be elitist and deter those less enthusiastic than themselves.

For their part, the committee members defend their closed shop on the basis that too many people are well-intentioned but not reliable and so they are forced to stick to tried and trusted personnel. The reality is that a great deal of work is involved in the competition for committee members and the required level of commitment may not be something that many people can provide.

Many of the people we spoke to expressed the belief that members of the organising committee tended to be older people. There is a sense that this is more appropriate because older people would have more time on their hands.

The view was expressed that people between the age of 20 and 50 simply did not have the time to be on a committee. There is a widely held belief that people in that age band simply don't have the time either due to work or family responsibilities. Therefore, it is acceptable and almost expected that the older generations take responsibility for the committee side of things.

In virtually every group of people to whom we spoke there was a strong sense that it is important to include the children of a town in the competition. Moreover, there is a very strong belief that children's involvement is central to the success of other towns i.e. children are 'extra pairs of hands'.

While the participation of children is important from an educational standpoint, it is also important that some form of incentive be provided to help in motivation. As one respondent put it; "the winning towns all seem to involve the young children. Kids need a little incentive, to get motivated. Even if it's just a pencil that say's 'I tidy up', or whatever".

In fact, by including the children of an area in Tidy Towns a considerable opportunity is created. At a more immediate level there will be increased levels of awareness and effort if the children of a town and participating. In the longer term there should be a concerted effort to respect our environment by a generation that has grown up with the competition.

THE NEED FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY SUPPORT

The people we spoke to place a great deal of importance on local authority assistance to aid involvement in Tidy Towns. There is without question a prevailing perception that successful towns are those that have supportive local councils.

The relationship between a town's inhabitants and the county council is an area that stimulated a great deal of discussion among the groups and it is clear that the support provided by councils differs greatly from town to town.

At the very least county councils can provide litter bins, regular refuse collection and street cleaning. In addition, there is a firm recognition that a county council should be responsible for the appearance of hedges rows and roads into a town.

There appears, however, to be instances where bureaucracy at county council level limits the effectiveness of Tidy Towns committees. For example, one woman we spoke to described how the local county council prevented a private citizen from sweeping the town's streets simply because this was work that county council workers are employed to do.

A frequent criticism of county councils is that they are slow to respond to requests for roadside bins and the like. The speed at which the wheels of progress turn in some councils serves to dampen people's spirits when they are trying to gain momentum for Tidy Towns initiatives.