FOI: 16903199 Annual residents' survey
Can you tell me which service commissioned the survey for 2019?
The survey was commissioned by the Intelligence & Performance Service, part of the
corporate Strategy, Policy & Performance Division. The survey has been commissioned
corporately for several years now.
How much did it cost?
The cost of the 2019 survey is £36,433.
Which company did the survey and how were they chosen?
The contract was awarded to Westco Trading Ltd. following a bidding process using the
council’s online request for quote system Proactis. Experienced market research
companies were invited to bid to deliver the survey.
Can you publish a copy of the questions for the survey?
The survey and results will be published over the summer. You will be able to access
these documents here:
https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/community_and_living/borough_statistics/Annual_
Residents_Survey.aspx
Which methods were used to conduct the survey and to make sure that it was fair?
The survey is a face to face survey that has a long established methodology which is
replicated year on year to ensure that trend data allows for year on year comparison.
The specification required bidders to comply with the following requirements to ensure
robust and statistically reliable sampling:
Sample frame and size
The sample size required is 1,100 and it is envisaged that the sample frame would be the
Postcode Address File. To be eligible for interview, residents need to have lived in the
borough for at least six months so they can provide an informed view about the services
and area. The survey focuses on the views of adult residents aged 18 and over. The
sample size may vary if the Council decides to explore different pricing options that are
included on the schedule of rates attachment.
Sampling methodology
The current survey design uses location based quote sampling techniques to achieve a
sample that is representative of the Tower Hamlets population. The specifics of this have
varied from year to year depending on the survey interview length. In most years,
interviews take place at around 100 different sampling points across the borough with
good representation across all wards. Quotas have been set according to the adult
population profile by:
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Employment status
• Housing tenure
In some years, weighting has also been applied to the results to ensure the final sampling
is representative of the adult population generally. The sampling methodology is
representative of the adult population generally. The sampling methodology has been
chosen to achieve a representative sample that is cost effective.
Bidders are asked to explain in detail how they would approach the design of the sample
in order to ensure that the final sample was representative of the Tower Hamlets
population.
Trend data and comparability
Importantly, contractors should comment on comparability with previous trend data. It is
important that results from future surveys are comparable with the results from previous
surveys. The Council would like advice on how this can best be achieved, and whether
the sampling methodology proposed by contractors would introduce any potential
discontinuities into trend data.
Fieldwork procedures
Contractors are asked to specify their fieldwork procedures, to include:
• Training and quality control. As a minimum, it is expected that interviewers will be
ICQS accredited;
• Measures to prevent sample bias – such as the over-representation of residents
who are more likely to be at home (older and workless residents); and
• Language barrier problems (Census 2011 found that 34 per cent of residents use
a main language other than English)
Can you publish any communication between the council and the company?
See attached document.
I was not able to find the 2019 results. Can you tell me when are they going to be
published?
The survey and results will be published over the summer. You will be able to access
these documents here:
https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/community_and_living/borough_statistics/Annual_
Residents_Survey.aspx
Can you tell me which officer is in day to day charge of the survey?
Juanita Haynes, Senior Intelligence & Performance Manager (Place, Governance &
Resources) leads on project commissioning and various tasks relating to the project are
delegated to staff in her team as required.