Presentation by Liz Coll (Consumer Focus) and Tim Hughes (Involve) of research into participation and active citizenship: 'Hands up and hands on', by Consumer Focus and 'Pathways through participation', by NCVO, IVR and Involve.

1. Where next for localism
and co-production?
15 March 2012
St Bride’s Foundation, London
#nextlocalism

2. Hands up and hands on Pathways through participation

3. Hands up and hands on
Liz Coll, Consumer Focus 15 March 2012

4. Hands up and
hands on
Aim of research
“to determine the preparedness and capacity of
citizens across England to engage with, and
respond to, the anticipated challenges relating to
the provision of community and public services”
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5. Hands up and
hands on
Research objectives
• What does localism mean to people in practice?
• How aware are citizens of opportunities for
participation?
• What are the triggers and barriers to participation?
• Do citizens have the capacity and willingness to
participate in challenging decisions about local
public services?
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6. Hands up and
hands on
Research methods
• Quantitative: telephone survey of 1,001 adults,
weighted for representation
• Qualitative: deliberative citizen forums at 4
locations
– Keynsham (Bristol)
– Timperley and Wythenshawe (Greater Manchester)
– Hereford
– Tower Hamlets (London)
• Facilitated, in depth discussions and mock
exercises in participatory budgeting.
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7. Tim Hughes, Involve

8. Research questions
How and why does participation begin and
continue?
Can trends and patterns of participation be
identified over time?
What connections, if any, are there between
different forms and episodes of participation
and what triggers movement between them?

9. 101 in-depth
interviews
Life stories
Qualitative research
Individual at the heart
Approach
Participation as ‘situated practice’
3 field work areas:
Leeds Stakeholder
Enfield engagement
Suffolk

10. What is participation?
Social participation:
the collective activities that
individuals are involved in
Public participation:
the engagement of individuals
with the various structures and
institutions of democracy
Individual participation:
people’s individual actions and
choices that reflect the kind of
society they want to live in

11. Hands Up and
Hands On
A picture of participation
• 82% agree we should have more say in local
matters
• But only 28% would like to actually have an input
(38% for parents of under 18 year olds)
• Quantitative survey showed 31% had actually
participated, from neighbourhood watch to running
sports clubs
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12. Why participation starts
Helping others
Developing relationships Groups and organisations
•Exercising values & beliefs Local environment and place
•Having influence
•For personal benefit
Practical resources
•Being part of something
Learnt resources
•Felt resources
An emotional reaction
A personal life event
•An external influence

13. Hands up and
hands on
Why people don’t participate
• Lack of information: “there’s nothing advertised
about where and how you can get involved. I think
people like to keep it to themselves”
• Lack of time: “it starts as ‘can you help out?’ and it
ends up as ‘we’re relying on you’. That’s too much”
• Lack of faith in local authorities: “quite often they ask
our opinion then just ignore it” “you see them…at
election time. The next time you see them is the
next election”
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14. Hands up and
hands on
Why people don’t participate
• Fear of the usual suspects “you always get the
same people going to the meetings, it can be quite
cliquey and it puts people off”
• Lack of return on investment “I feel it’s easy to say
but there’s a bit of ‘once bitten, twice shy’ about all
this local stuff”
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15. Politics
Other participants
Perceptions and experiences
Public organisations
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16. Participation needs to be...
• Personal
• Social
• Meaningful
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17. Develop realistic expectations
of participation
Understand what policy
interventions can and
cannot achieve
Recommendations
Improve participation
opportunities

18. Hands up and
hands on
Ways forward...
• Influence, Involvement, In Control: find the right level.
• Focus effort on the right people: reach out to the ‘willing but
waiting’
• Be open and realistic: don’t shy away from difficult
conversations, be prepared for complexity of localism.
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19. Critical issues
• Power and inequality
• Conflict
• The usual suspects
• Efficacy and trust
• Defining a community
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