Under the influence?

摘要

As we all settle down to deliver our selected 35 national indicators, do we need to take some time to understand what it is we are really measuring? Some recent work in Birmingham suggests that with regard to attitudinal indicators, in particular, we cannot take for granted that people are really answering the question we have asked, or that we understand why they respond as they do. Responses to national indicator 4 (NI4), which poses the question, 'Do you feel you can influence decisions in your local area?' suggest that we in Birmingham have been performing well. Annual opinion survey results show a marked increase in positive responses over recent years. In 2005, it was 3%, but by 2006, that figure had risen to 37%. Last year, we hit 44%, compared with the national average of 38%.