Devolution, Identity & Engagement Survey

1
Devolution, Identity & Engagement
York Student Think Tank
June 2015

2
Contents
Executive Summary:.................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction:.............................................................................................................................. 4
Who We Are:............................................................................................................................. 4
Our Ethos:.................................................................................................................................. 4
Methodology............................................................................................................................. 5
Limitations:................................................................................................................................ 5
Findings...................................................................................................................................... 6
Demographics............................................................................................................................ 6
Devolution................................................................................................................................. 9
Identity: ................................................................................................................................... 21
Engagement............................................................................................................................. 25
Bibliography............................................................................................................................. 31
Appendix A- Survey Questions ................................................................................................ 31
Appendix B- Survey Responses: .............................................................................................. 35

3
Executive Summary:
 There is broad support for giving regions more power (64% of respondents thought
regions should have more power)
 34% of respondents thought regions should be given more powers with directly
elected assemblies
 61.2% of respondents expected more devolution over the next 5 years
 Respondents believed cities should have power over policy areas such as Transport
(42.4%), while in most other policy areas respondents supported Central
Government.
 Respondents identified as having a strong link to national identities (47.1%)
 A majority of respondents from the Yorkshire and Humber favoured national
identities (61.7%), while the largest groups of respondents from the South East
favoured Regional (44%) and city based identities (42%)
 Of the elections polled, respondents were more likely to vote in the general
elections; with 93% stating that they would be either likely or very likely to vote in
the general elections.
 Local elections saw the lowest participation with only 71.8% of respondents stating
that they would either be likely or very likely to participate in these elections.
 Within questions regarding participation, intension to vote in elections was high at
70% or above across all governmental bodies.
 In response to general feelings of political engagement most respondents said that
they felt politically engaged, with ‘Very Strongly’ (16.08%) and ‘Strongly’ (49.41%) as
the top responses.
 51.37% of individuals polled did not believe, or were unsure that their vote
mattered.

4
Introduction:
Following the Scottish referendum many questions have been posed around the wealth and
range of regional and national identities within the United Kingdom, this combined with
fresh debate on devolution provides a rich area of research.
This research project aims to investigate the relationship between Devolution, Identity and
Political engagement amongst University Students aged 18-25 years old at York University.
Who We Are:
This report was commissioned by the YSTT. Founded in 2011, YSTT is a developing student
society and think tank. The society serves as a forum for non-partisan political debate at the
University of York, while also providing its members with the opportunity to gain experience
in public policy research and consultation.
This research project was carried out by a small team of University of York students, from a
range of backgrounds and disciplines:
Project Leader:
Richard Crawshaw, Second Year Social & Political Science student
Researchers:
Kyle Knights, Second Year Social & Political Science student
Hayley Ramshay, Second Year Social Policy student
Our Ethos:
In line with the ethos of the York Student Think Tank (YSTT), this report has two core
principles as its guideline:
ii. To follow the evidence wherever it may guide us.
ii. To suggest only those ideas which have a reasonable chance of success.

5
Methodology
The main method used in this research was a quantitative survey asking a broad range of
closed questions. The survey was based online and distributed through social media, college
email and departmental emails. Respondents were asked a number of questions from three
broad areas; devolution, identity and political engagement.
A total of 301 survey responses were collected between the 18th
January and the 1st
of
March 2015, with 256 of those being from UK students studying at the University of York.
This report only contains results from the 256 UK home students. This was done in order to
focus our sample group into a subset of home students studying at the University of York.
The data was imported into SPSS where statistical analysis was conducted.
Limitations:
This research has a number of limitations:
 As a purely quantitative piece it lacks rich qualitative data which may help to explain
the reasoning behind people’s attitudes to Devolution
 It has a narrow application; the sample group is limited to British Students studying
at the University of York and is unrepresentative of any national group.
 The long date collection period of 18th
of January to 1st
March 2015 allowed for an
increase in the number of respondents, however may damage the validity of the
results as respondents views may have changed during the survey period.

6
Findings
Demographics
Gender:
A total of 147 females and 105 males responded to the survey, with 3 people preferring not
to disclose their gender.
Male: 41.2%
Female: 57.6%
Prefer not to say: 1.2%
41.18
57.65
0.39
Gender
Male Female Prefer not to say

7
Break down of Respondents age:
18: 12.5%
19: 35.3%
20: 21.6%
21: 17.6%
22: 6.3%
23: 2.7%
24: 0.5%
25+: 3.5%
The mean age of the survey respondents was 20.7.

8
Break down of Regions Respondents Identified as being from:
Breakdown of Regions:
South East: 18.4%
South West: 6.7%
London: 7.5%
West Midlands: 7.5%
East Midlands: 6.7%
East of England: 5.5%
Yorkshire & Humber: 19.6%
North East: 5.1%
North West: 15.3%
Scotland: 1.6%
Wales: 3.5%
Northern Ireland: 1.2
Other: 1.6%
Summary:
 Students from all of the regions of the UK responded to the survey, with the two
largest responding groups being from Yorkshire & Humber and the South East.
 A broad range of ages responded to the Survey, giving us a sample group from the
three largest age ranges on campus
 Though there may appear to be an imbalance between the number of male and
female respondents, this figure is representative of University populations (HESA,
2014)

9
Devolution
Views on devolution:
 Local councils/cities should be given more power, with directly elected Mayors
(24.7%)
 Local councils/cities should be given more power, without directly elected mayors
(13.3%)
 There should be no further devolution of powers (20%)
 Regions should be given more powers, without elected assemblies (7.1%)
 Regions should be given more powers, with elected assemblies (34.9%)
24.7
13.3
20
7.1
2.4
Select which statement is closest to your view
Local councils/cities should be given more power, with directly elected Mayors
Local councils/cities should be given more power, without directly elected mayors
There should be no further devolution of powers
Regions should be given more powers, without elected assemblies
Regions should be given more powers, with elected assemblies

10
The North/South Divide:
 Yes: 89.8%
 No: 5.5%
 Don’t Know: 4.7%
89.8%
5.5%
4.7%
Is there a North/South divide?
Yes No Don't Know

11
The Spread of Power across the UK:
Local Councils:
 More Power: 56.5%
 No Change: 32.9%
 Less Power: 10.6%
Regions:
56.5%
32.9%
10.6%
How should power be spread across UK local
councils?
More power No change Less power
64.7%
29.4%
5.9%
How should power be spread across UK regions?

12
Central Government:
Cities:
34.1%
56.1%
9.8%
How should power be spread across UK cities?
8.6%
47.1%
44.3%
How should power be spread across the UK
central government?

13
Expectations:
 More Devolution: 61.2%
 Less Devolution: 10.2%
61.2%
28.6%
10.2%
What respondents expect happen in the next 5
years in regards to devolution ?
More Devolution No change Less Devolution

14
Levels of government:
Welfare and Benefits
 UK Central Govt: 69.8%
 Local Councils: 16.5%
 Elected Mayors in Major cities: 0.4%
 Regional Assemblies: 10.2%
 Combined Local Authorities: 2.4%
 The EU: 0.8%
 None of these: 0%
69.8
16.47
0.39 10.2
2.4
2
Select which level of government you feel should have
power over each policy area (welfare & Benefits)
UK Central Government Local Councils Elected Mayors in Major Cities
Regional Assemblies Combined Local Authorities The EU

15
Taxation:
 The EU: 3.1%
 None of these: 0%
81.2
6.7
0.8
6.7
1.6 3.1
Select Which Level of government should have power
over each policy area (Taxation)

16
Education:
 Elected Mayors in Major cities: 2%
 The EU: 1.2%
 None of these: 0.4%
52.2
20.8
2
15.3
8.2
1.2 0.4
Select Which Level of government should have power
over each policy area (Education)
None of these

17
Health
 The EU: 2.4%
66.7
10.6
1.2
13.3
5.5 2.4 0.4
power over each policy area (Health)
None of these

18
Transport
 The EU: 0.8%
18.4
42.46.3
19.2
12.5
0.8 0.4
power over each policy area (Transport)
None of these

19
Environment
 The EU: 17.6%
44.7
16.93.5
11.4
5.5
17.6
0
power over each policy area (Environment)
None of these

20
Foreign Policy
 The EU: 16.9%
Summary:
 Central government is believed to be responsible for taxation (81.2%), foreign policy
(78.4%) welfare and benefits (69.8%) and health policy (66.7%).
 Education had a more mixed response in the survey with 52.2% of respondents
showing that the central government should have responsibility, 20.8% of respond-
ents believing power lie at the local council level and 15.3% at the regional assembly
level.
 In this survey transport had been found to be the responsibility of local councils
(42.4%).
 Environment is like education, a mixed response, 44.7% with UK Central Gov., The
European Union -17.6%, Local Councils-16.9%, Regional Assemblies -11.4%, Com-
bined Local Authorities - 5.5%, Elected Mayors in Major Cities - 3.5% and with 0.4%
responding that it had been none of these levels
78.4
1.2
0.8
0.8
0.8
16.9
0.4
power over each policy area (Foreign Policy)
None of these

21
Identity:
In this section results are presented from the Identity section of the Survey, the total results
are presented alongside results from Male & Female respondents as well as the results from
respondents from the South East and Yorkshire & Humber (The two biggest regional
respondent groups).
National Identity:
 Total: Very Strong: 47.1%, 2: 24.7%, 3: 12.5%, 4: 9.4%, Very Weak: 6.3%
 Male: Very Strong: 47.6%, 2: 20.0%, 3: 13.3%, 4: 10.5%, Very Weak: 8.6%
 Female: Very Strong: 46.9%, 2: 27.9%, 3: 12.2%, 4: 8.2%, Very Weak: 4.8%
 Yorkshire & Humber: Very Strong: 61.7%, 2: 27.7%, 3: 6.4%, 4: 4.3%, Very Weak:
0.0%
 South East: Very Strong: 40%, 2: 22.0%, 3: 20.0%, 4: 14.0%, Very Weak 4.0%

22
Regional Identity
 Regional Identities: Very Strong: 22.7%, 2: 26.7%, 3: 19.2%, 4: 14.9%, Very Weak
14.9% Not Sure: 1.6%
 Male: Very Strong: 16.2%, 2: 25.7%, 3: 23.8%, 4: 15.2%, Very Weak: 19.0%, Not Sure:
0.%
 Female: Very Strong: 27.9%, 2: 27.9%, 3: 15.6%, 4: 14.3%, Very Weak: 11.6%, Not
Sure: 2.7%
 Yorkshire & Humber: Very Strong 8.5%, 2: 21.3%, 3: 31.9%, 4: 23.4%, Very Weak:
12.8% Not Sure: 2.1%
 South East: Very Strong: 44.0%, 2: 28.0%, 3: 14%, 4: 4.0%, Very Weak: 10.0%

23
Local Identity
 City Identity: Very Strong: 25.5%, 2: 21.2%, 3: 22.0%, 4: 14.5%, Very Weak: 15.3%,
Not Sure: 1.6%
1.0%
Sure 2.0%
 Yorkshire & Humber: Very Strong: 14.9%, 2: 14.9%. 3:38.3%, 4: 10.6% , Very Weak:
19.1%, Not Sure: 2.1%
 South East: Very Strong: 42.0%, 2: 20.0%, 3: 18.0%, 4: 12.0%, Very Weak: 8.0%, Not
Sure: 0.0%

24
International Identity
 European: Very strong: 12.2%, 2: 18.8%, 3: 25.5%, 4: 22.4%, Very Weak: 18.8%, Not
Sure: 2.4%
2.9%
Sure: 2.0%
 Yorkshire & Humber: Very Strong: 17.0%, 2: 21.3%, 3: 23.4%, 4: 21.3%, Very Weak:
17.0%, Not Sure: 0.0%
 South East: Very Strong: 8.0%, 2: 14.0%, 3: 28.0%, 4: 26.0%, Very Weak: 22.0%, Not
Sure: 2.0%
Summary:
 Overall, respondents appeared to have stronger ties to their national identity than
any other (47.1%)
 Respondents from the Yorkshire and Humber favoured national identities (61.7%),
while respondents from the South East favoured Regional (44%) and city based
identities (42%)
 These results demonstrate the varied and complex nature of identity

25
Engagement
In this section results are presented from the Engagement section of the Survey.
Cross-tabulation analysis, through column percentages, indicates that voter registration is more
prevalent amongst those that are less politically apathetic; i.e. those that felt that there vote counted
were more likely to be registered to vote than those that were unsure (7.7%). Registered voters are
more prevalent amongst those who believe that there vote is important. From the findings of
research it becomes apparent that within the stratification of voter registration, whilst there may be
some difference in the spread of detail across each of the options; the majority category in each
stratification is the ‘strong’ feeling that an individual’s vote counts therefore it can be said that there
is not a prevailing sentiment that the political process is unrepresentative or broken.
Do you feel your vote counts? * Are you currently registered to vote in the May 2015 general elec-
tion? Cross-tabulation
Are you currently registered to vote in
the May 2015 general election? Total
Yes No Not Sure
Do you feel
your vote
counts?
Strongly
Count 100 12 12 124
% 51.50% 34.30% 46.20% 48.60%
Unsure
Count 15 6 3 24
% 7.70% 17.10% 11.50% 9.40%
Not Very
Count 63 14 11 88
% 32.50% 40.00% 42.30% 34.50%
Not at All
Count 16 3 0 19
% 8.20% 8.60% 0.00% 7.50%
Total
Count 194 35 26 255
% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

26
Breakdown of results:
 Yes: 63.92%
 No: 30.98%
 Aproximately 36.08% of respondents were unsure or could not name their local MP.
Breakdown of respondent’s feelings of value associated with voting:
 Very Strongly: 9.41%
 Strong: 39.22%
 Not very: 34.51%
 Unsure: 9.41
 Not at all: 7.45%
63.92
36.08
Can you name your local MP?
Yes No
9.41
39.22
34.51
9.41
7.45
Do you feel your vote counts?
Very Strong Strong

27
Participation in General Elections:
 Very Likely: 82.4%
 Likely: 10.6%
 Not Sure: 2.0%
 Unlikely: 2.4%
 Very Unlikely: 1.6%
 Not Applicable: 1.25

Participation in European Elections:
 Likely: 27.1%
 Not Sure: 11.8%
 Unlikely: 10.6%
 Not Applicable: 1.2%

 Likely: 23.5%
 Not Sure: 12.2%
 Unlikely: 6.3%
 Not Applicable:0.8%

Page 29 of 41
 Strongly: 49.4%
 Not Very: 21.2%
 The data surrounding general feelings of political engagement represented as a histogram shows that
the data is skew towards the lower end of the scale meaning that individuals do feel more politically
engaged.
 A mean of 2.43 would suggest that the respondents felt slightly more politically engaged than not.
This finding contrasts with the ‘do you feel that your vote counts?’ findings, which suggested that
51.37% of respondents were unsure or did not believe that their vote would be impactful in anyway.

Page 30 of 41
 Strongly: 49.41%
 Not Very: 21.18%
Summary:
 Of the elections polled, respondents were more likely to vote in the general elections; with
93% stating that they would be either likely or very likely to vote in the general elections.
 Local elections see the least amount of participation with only 71.8% of respondents stating
that they would either be likely or very likely to participate in these elections.
 Within questions regarding participation, intension to vote in elections remains high at 70%
or above across all governmental bodies.
 In response to general feelings of political engagement most respondents said that they felt
politically engaged, with ‘Very Strongly’ (16.08%) and ‘Strongly’ (49.41%) as the top
responses.
 51.37% of individuals polled did not believe, or were unsure that their vote mattered.
 There is a discrepancy between the percentage of individuals that intend to vote and those
that felt that their vote mattered. This suggests that there is a proportion (approximately
20%) of voters who are politically cynical.
16.08
49.41
11.76
21.18
7.45
How politically engaged do you feel?
Very Strong Strong Don't Know

Page 31 of 41
Bibliography
(HESA) Higher Education Statistics Agency (2014). Student Introduction 2013/14: Student Population.
Online. Available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/3484/#sex
Appendix A- Survey Questions
Are you currently registered to vote in the May 2015 general election?
 Yes
 No
 Not Sure
How likely are you to vote in the following elections?
Very Likely Likely Not sure Unlikely Very Unlikely
Not
applicable
Local
Council
Elections
General
Elections
EU
Elections
If a General Election was held tomorrow, who would you vote for?
 Labour
 Conservatives
 Liberal Democrats
 The Green Party
 The UK Independence Party
 Don't Know
 Other:
 Yes
 No
 Maybe

Page 32 of 41
 Very Strongly
 Strongly
 Don't Know
 Not Very
 Not at all
 Very Strongly
 Strongly
 Don't Know
 Not Very
 Not at all
Which of these statements is closest to your view?
Elected assemblies are groups of elected representatives who have powers over local government
and may or may not have powers to make local laws. An example of this would be the London
assembly.
 Local councils/cities should be given more power, with directly elected Mayors
 Local councils/cities should be given more power, without directly elected Mayors
 There should be no further devolution of powers
 Regions should be given more power, without elected assemblies
 Regions should be given more powers, with elected assemblies
Select which level of government you feel should have power over each policy area.
A regional Assembly consists of a group of elected representatives, they have powers over local
government and may or may not have powers to make local laws. Combined local authorities are
collectives of local councils who have power of the provision of certain policy areas.
UK Central
Government
Local
Councils
Elected
Mayors
in major
cities
Regional
Assemblies
Combined
Local
Authorities
The
European
Union
None
of
these
Welfare &
Benefits
Taxation
Education
Health

Page 33 of 41
UK Central
Government
Local
Councils
Elected
Mayors
in major
cities
Regional
Assemblies
Combined
Local
Authorities
The
European
Union
None
of
these
Transport
Environment
& Energy
Foreign
Policy
What do you expect will happen over the next 5 years in regards to devolution?
Devolution is the delegation of power, typically from central government to local governments and
regional bodies.
 More devolution
 Less devolution
 No change
Do you think that the UK should remain a member of the EU?
 Yes
 No
 Indifferent
 Don't Know
How should power be spread across the UK?
Do you feel any of these bodies should receive more or less power? or no change should be made?
More Power No Change Less Power Don't Know
Local
Councils
Cities
Regions
Central
Government

Page 34 of 41
Do you feel there is a North/South Divide?
 Yes
 No
 Don't Know
Which Region of the UK would you identify as being from?
Which of following best describes you?
 Home Student
 Eu Student
 Non-Eu Student
How strong do you feel connect to each of these identities?
1 being a very strong connection and 5 being a weak connection
1 2 3 4 5 Not Sure
National (eg
British)
Regional (eg
Lancastrian)
Local (eg
Liverpudlian)
International
(eg
European)
What gender do you identify with?
 Male
 Female
 Prefer Not to say
How old are you?
Are you a student at the University of York?
 Yes
 No

Page 35 of 41
Appendix B- Survey Responses:
Are you currently registered to vote in the May 2015 general election?
Value Count Percent
Yes 194 76.1%
No 35 13.7%
Not Sure 26 10.2%
How likely are you to vote in the following elections: EU Elections?
Value Count Percent
Very Likely 137 53.7%
Likely 60 23.5%
Not Sure 31 12.2%
Unlikely 16 6.3%
Very Unlikely 9 3.5%
Not Applicable 2 0.8%
How likely are you to vote in the following elections: Local Council Election?
Value Count Percent
Likely 69 27.1%
Not Sure 30 11.8%
Unlikely 27 10.6%
How likely are you to vote in the following elections: General Elections?
Value Count Percent
Likely 27 10.6%
Not Sure 5 2.0%
Unlikely 6 2.4%

Page 36 of 41
Value Count Percent
Yes 163 63.9%
No 79 31.0%
Maybe 13 5.1%
Value Count Percent
Very Strongly 24 9.4%
Strongly 100 39.2%
Don't Know 24 9.4%
Not Very 88 34.5%
Not at all 19 7.5%
Select which level of government you feel should have power over each policy
Value Count Percent
UK Central Government 178 69.8%
Local Councils 42 16.5%
Elected Mayors in Major Cities 1 0.4%
Regional Assemblies 26 10.2%
Combined Local Authorities 6 2.4%
The European Union 2 0.8%
None of these 0 0.0%
If a General Election was held tomorrow who would you vote for?
Value Count Percent
Labour 72 28.2%
Conservative 44 17.3%
UKIP 10 3.9%
The Green Party 76 29.8%
Liberal Democrats 20 7.8%
None of the above 1 0.4%
Don't Know 21 8.2%
Other 11 4.3%
Value Count Percent
Very Strongly 41 16.1%
Strongly 126 49.4%
Don't Know 30 11.8%
Not Very 54 21.2%
Not at all 4 1.6%

Page 37 of 41
Select which level of government you feel should have power over each politic
Value Count Percent
Value Count Percent
Value Count Percent
Value Count Percent

Page 38 of 41
Select which level of government you feel should have power over each polity
Value Count Percent
Foreign Policy
How should power be spread across the UK Local Councils?
Value Count Percent
More Power 144 56.5%
No Change 84 32.9%
Less Power 27 10.6%
Select which level of government you feel should have power over each polity
Value Count Percent
What do you expect will happen over the next 5 years in regards to devolution
Value Count Percent
More Devolution 156 61.2%
No Change 73 28.6%
Less devolution 26 10.2%
Which of these statements is closest to your view?
Value Count Percent
Local councils/cities should be given more power, with directly elected Mayors 63 24.7%
Local councils/cities should be given more power, without directly elected Mayors 34 13.3%
There should be no further devolution of powers 51 20.0%
Regions should be given more powers, without elected assemblies 18 7.1%
Regions should be given more powers, with elected assemblies 89 34.9%

Page 39 of 41
How should power be spread across the UK Regions
Value Count Percent
More Power 165 64.7%
No Change 75 29.4%
Less Power 15 5.9%
How should power be spread across the UK Cities
Value Count Percent
More Power 87 34.1%
No Change 143 56.1%
Less Power 25 9.8%
How should power be spread across the UK Central Government
Value Count Percent
More Power 22 8.6%
No Change 120 47.1%
Less Power 113 44.3%
Do you feel there is a North South Divide?
Value Count Percent
Yes 229 89.8%
No 14 5.5%
Don't Know 12 4.7%
What gender do you identify with?
Value Count Percent
Male 105 41.2%
Female 147 57.6%
Prefer not to say 3 1.2%

Page 40 of 41
Which Region of the UK would you identify as being from?
Value Count Percent
South East 47 18.4%
South West 17 6.7%
London 19 7.5%
West Midlands 19 7.5%
East Midlands 17 6.7%
East of England 14 5.5%
Yorkshire & Humber 50 19.6%
North East 13 5.1%
North West 39 15.3%
Scotland 4 1.6%
Wales 9 3.5%
Northern Ireland 3 1.2%
Not from the UK 2 0.8%
Other 2 0.8%
Prefer not to say 0 0.0%
How strong do you feel connect to each of these identities (Regional)? e.g. Lancastrian
Value Count Percent
Very Strong 58 22.7%
2 68 26.7%
3 49 19.2%
4 38 14.9%
Very Weak 38 14.9%
Not sure 4 1.6%
How strong do you feel connect to each of these local identities? (local) e.g. Liverpudlian
How strong do you feel connect to each of these identities (National)? e.g. British.
Value Count Percent
2 63 24.7%
3 32 12.5%
4 24 9.4%
Very Weak 16 6.3%
Not sure 0 0.0%

Page 41 of 41
Value Count Percent
2 54 21.2%
3 56 22.0%
4 37 14.5%
Very Weak 39 15.3%
Not sure 4 1.6%
Who will you vote for in the general election?
Value Count Percent
Labour 72 28.2%
Conservative 44 17.3%
UKIP 10 3.9%
The Green Party 76 29.8%
Liberal Democrats 20 7.8%
None of the above/Other 12 4.7%
Don't Know 21 8.2%
How strong do you feel a connection to each of these identities? (International) e.g. European
Value Count Percent
2 48 18.8%
3 65 25.5%
4 57 22.4%
Very Weak 48 18.8%
Not sure 6 2.4%
Do you think that the UK should remain a member of the EU?
Value Count Percent
Yes 200 78.4%
No 24 9.4%
Don't Know 15 5.9%
Indifferent 16 6.3%

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