Audit of Political Engagement 5

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Ymgysylltiad gwleidyddol a dinesig yng Nghymru yn
oes y Gymdeithas Fawr Political and Civic
Engagement in Wales in the age of the Big Society

• 23 Mehefin am 6pm
• Thursday June 23 2011

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Political Engagement in Wales
2011 Assembly elections 41.4 (-2)
March 2011 referendum 35.2 (50 in 1997)
May 2010 general election 65
Growing indifference?
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The Big Society?
Government local national Social providers
public private Individual volunteers /
neighbourhood groups
Source www.thegrouchotendency.blogspot.com
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• Mass Civic Engagement?
• POSITIVE
• Greater interest in local rather than national
  engagement
• Optimism and belief in efficacy of localism
• NEGATIVE
• Knowledge deficit
• Informal not formal volunteering
• People prefer to be a spectator rather than a
  participant

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Local vs. National EngagementImbalance between
interest knowledge
INTEREST

• National politics 58
• How things work locally 69

KNOWLEDGE
National politics 53 How things work locally
46
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Civic engagement in Wales 75 interested in how
things work locally BUT Only 37 feel
knowledgeable about how things work
Source LGIU Blog Feb 2011
Source Audit of Political Engagement 8
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Desire for local involvement

• 51 agree when people like me get involved in
  their
• local community they can really change the way
  their
• area is run
• BUT
• Only 43 want involvement in local decisions
  (-5)
• Only 1 in 10 say they will definitely volunteer
  at
• some point in next couple of years

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What are people willing to do?
Definitely / Probably will
29 help sick/elderly 28 sports, social
groups 25 activities for kids 25 charity /
campaign organisations
Definitely / Probably wont
81 trade union 70 political party 70 church/
religious group
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Who wants to get involved?

• Under 45 years old
• (particularly 25-34)
• Higher social grades
• (ABC1s)
• People with children
• Liberal Democrat
• supporters

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Raw material of the Big Society?

• Already Active (14)

Willing Localists (14)
Not interested in politics BUT interested in
local area and willing to get involved 2/3rds are
female 44 have children Prevalent in Wales (29)
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What would get people more involved?

• Overwhelmingly self-interested responses
• if I felt strongly about an issue (40)
• if it was relevant to me (33)
• if I had more time (28)
• if it affected my street (25)

Big Society must show how benefits are tangibly
local and personal.
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The Big Society in Wales
60 getting involved locally can make a
difference Volunteered in last 12 months 42
in Wales (36 in England) 1.1 million volunteers
(147 million hours) 41 engaged in civic
activism, consultation or participation (35 in
England)
Sources WCVA Citizenship Survey
Source LGIU Blog Feb 2011
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Focus on

• Motivation provided by local interest the
  willing localists
• Addressing local knowledge deficit
• Volunteering benefits being
• tangibly local and personal
• Wales well placed for broader civic engagement

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John Osmond Chair (Director, Institute of Welsh
Affairs) Dr Ruth Fox Matt Korris (Hansard
Society) Jenny Rathbone AM Graham Benfield
(Wales Council for Voluntary Action) Mark
Isherwood AM Prof. Richard Wyn Jones (Cardiff
University)
Ymgysylltiad gwleidyddol a dinesig yng Nghymru yn
oes y Gymdeithas Fawr Political and civic
engagement in Wales in the age of the Big Society