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Title of service being assessed / Tracker Survey
Directorate / -Select-Adult, Health and Community WellbeingChief ExecutiveCommercial, Property and InfrastructureCommunicationsEnvironment, Sustainability and HighwaysFinanceHuman ResourcesIS, Performance and ProgrammesPolicy, Community Planning and RegenerationSchools, Children and Families
Name and role of officer completing this assessment / Duncan Wood, Head of Community Planning & Public Engagement
Contact Telephone Number / 01245 430051
Date Assessment Completed / 11 July 2008
1. Which equality strands have you included in your data collection/ analysis and consultations?
Race and Culture / Disability
Age / Gender
Sexual orientation / Religion and Belief
2. What are the key findings/ observations resulting from the data/ consultations? Please include all findings that demonstrate inequality…You may wish to record inequality issues for additional groups (for example rural isolation, financially disadvantaged etc) please do this using box g.
a.Race and Culture
Tracker Surveys 1 and 5 (sample sizes 4,379 and 4,653 respectively) indicate that ethnic group sample sizes are broadly in line with the 2001 census. However, the 'Mixed' and 'Other' categories are slightly under-represented (<0.5% compared with 1%; and <0.5% compared with 0.5%) with Black being slightly under-represented in T1 and over-represented in T5. White is under-represented in T5 but this is probably due to non-completion of the question.
T5 shows that the following issues are salient for BME groups: isolation due to irregular or expensive public transport or lack of own transport (bus use is highest among BMEs); not feeling well informed by the Council; whites are less likely to feel satisfied with the Council. Tracker 1 especially showed that BME respondents were more likely to highlight social exclusion issues than white respondents; in particular, 22% of BME respondents cited perceived racism as an issue compared with 1% of whites.
b.Age
T1 and T5 both show that people aged less than 44 are significantly under-represented: about 26% as opposed to 43% in the 2006 Mid-Year Estimates; with people aged 45+ correspondingly over-represented.
T5 shows that the following issues are salient for younger people: transport (bus usage is high for this group); access to council offices; access to recreational facilities; dissatisfaction with the library service; making complaints; not feeling well informed; feeling able to influence decisions. Middle aged people are more fearful of burglary. Tendring residents are more likely to be dissatisfied with personal social services, which may be linked with age. Tracker 5 shows that 4% feel socially isolated because of differences between age groups.
c.Sexual Orientation
There is no data on sexual orientation. However, in Trackers 1 about 0.5% of respondents and in Tracker 5 1% said they felt isolated in society by homophobia.
d.Disability
About 30% of T1 and T5 respondents say they have a disability; on average, about 23% say they have a disability that limits them. The data are not strictly comparable, but the 2001 census shows that 32% have a limiting long-term illness.
Issues for people with disabilities in T5 include: getting into places; access to hospitals, council offices and sports and leisure centres; feeling unsafe during the day; worrying about burglary; and dissatisfaction with personal social services. In Tracker 5, 3% of respondents say they feel socially isolated because of disability discrimination.
e.Gender
Men are under-represented in the T1 and T5 samples: about 40% as opposed to the population level of 48% for the adult age range.
T5 shows that men are less likely to be satisfied with ECC overall than women. In Tracker 5, 1% say they feel socially isolated by sexism.
f.Religion and Belief
There is no data on religion and belief. However, it is likely that this bears a close relationship with ethnicity.
g.Other
Tracker 5 indicates that 3% of respondents felt socially isolated by mental health issues.
/ EssexCounty Council Impact Assessment Form Section 2 / ECC40a
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3.We have a duty to promote equal opportunities and promote good relations between community groups as well as eliminate discrimination. Please list below any opportunities to promote equal opportunities or good community relations within your review area.
Equality Group / Opportunity
All / 1)We shall continued to use industry standard weighting techniques to adjust for sampling biases
2)We shall discuss with contractors ways of minimising sampling bias in the first place. Given the national constraints from Place Survey methodology, it is not really possible to set quotas for population segments. However, for minority groups we may use alternative survey methods to provide results for ‘triangulation’ with the Tracker Survey.
3)Ensuring accuracy of results should help ECC to identify issues that when addressed should promote community cohesion.
/ EssexCounty Council Impact Assessment Form Section 2 / ECC40a
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4. Adverse impacts and/or inequalities in policy or service delivery that need to be resolved or mitigated. It is likely that you will have more than one possible solution for each issue
a.Race
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / ‘Triangulate’ results by exploring same issues with online surveys and surveys or focus groups drawn from Essex Citizens’ Panel or other sampling frame constructed with EEDN
b.Age
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / ‘Triangulate’ results by exploring same issues with online surveys and surveys or focus groups drawn from Essex Citizens’ Panel or other sampling frame
c.Sexual Orientation
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / Include a question on sexual orientation in the demographics section. However, we need to assess whether people would complete this and what effect it might have on response rates
d.Disability
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / ‘Triangulate’ results by exploring same issues with online surveys and surveys or focus groups drawn from Essex Citizens’ Panel or other sampling frame constructed with Partnership Network Forum
e.Gender
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / Consider ways especially of obtaining the views of white working class makes, eg, through Citizens’ Panel or dedicated surveys and comparing with Tracker
f.Religion
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / Examine the opinion research literature to test the assumption that this correlates closely with race and culture; possibly include a question in future Trackers on whether religion or belief has been an excluding factor
g.Other
Adverse Impact and/or inequality / Possible Solutions
Under-sampling and inaccurate representation of views / Analysis will be done socially by Mosaic group and type to identify differences of quality of life; this will be linked with geographical analysis; we can also use cross-tab analysis to see if scores differ according to whether people mentioned a particular excluding factor, eg, what are the satisfaction scores etc for the 3% of Tracker 5 respondents who felt isolated by mental health issues?
/ EssexCounty Council
Impact Assessment Form Section 2 / ECC40a
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5. You now need to complete the action plan. You need to prioritise the work that needs to be done. If you have found any adverse impact or discrimination that is illegal you must address these immediately and therefore they will be top priority in your action plans. The notes for guidance will help you to prioritise your other actions. If there are areas which you feel need to be looked at in more detail then the resulting action may be an additional EIA focussing on a specific area of concern.
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Please list the actions that you need to take as a result of this assessment. Directors will need to decide how these actions will be prioritised.
Issue Identified / Issues taken from question 4 / Action Required – agreed solution / Name of service /unit/ individual’swork plan where action will be included. / Officers responsible – Directorate Lead and Action Lead / Details of Cost – inc. Resource & financial / By when1 / Discuss ways of reducing sampling bias with market research firm and changes to demographic questions to cover religion and sexual orientation / To discuss with BMG and identify and act on feasible solutions / Public Engagement Team
Kay Asuni / Kay Asuni
Duncan Wood / Not known / 30 Sept 2008
2 / Discuss alternative forms of opinion polling or focus group work with ‘knowledgeable stakeholders’ / To devise methods that will yield the best ‘triangulation’ information on topics that appear to be salient for groups / Public Engagement Team
Joyce Sweeney
Kay Asuni / Kay Asuni
Joyce Sweeney
Duncan Wood / Not known / 30 September 2008
3 / Put alternative methods in place for 'triangulation' / Alternative methods in place and operating well / Public Engagement Team
Joyce Sweeney / Joyce Sweeney
Duncan Wood / Not known / 31 October
2008
4 / Publish all tracker survey results / Fully functional 'Talk Essex' site with public face as well as just practitioner access / Public Engagement Team
Chris White / Joyce Sweeney
Kay Asuni / Chris White
Joyce Sweeney
Kay Asuni
Duncan Wood / Being investigated / 31 October 2008
4 / Carry out further cross-tab analysis / Analysis of scores by excluding factors and by Mosaic group / Public Engagement Team
Kay Asuni
Stephen Simpkin / Kay Asuni
Stephen Simpkin
Duncan Wood / 20 days staff time / 30 September 2008
Further EIAs Required
Subject / Planned Date / Lead Officer / Action Officer
Proper scope and effectiveness of triangulation methods / October 2009 / Duncan Wood / Joyce Sweeney
This action plan needs to be agreed with your Director and Service Manager and actions included in the appropriate service or unity plans.
Signature of Executive Director/ Director…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Signature of Service Manager……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Please submit this form to the equalities team: