Wave Two – December 2020

Coronavirus has had a big impact on how we all live, work, travel and interact. To understand the local impact, in December 2020 we asked residents to tell us how they have been affected. The second wave of research aimed to measure change from wave one in core areas as well as asking residents about some new areas. Over 1,900 people took part in the survey and shared their experiences of the pandemic.

If you took part in the survey, thank you for taking the time to tell us how coronavirus has affected you and your family. The results of the survey will continue to help shape how we work with other organisations, residents and communities to keep Portsmouth safe and help the city plan for the future.

You can view the detailed results of the survey, as well as the demographic breakdown of the responses, by clicking on the results tabs.

If you have any questions about the research or its findings you can contact our research team via marketresearch@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

It’s important to note that during the fieldwork period of the survey there were changes in restrictions; Portsmouth went from tier two to tier three and then to tier four.

• The majority of residents feel confident that they understand the current rules and guidance; this is consistent with Wave 1.

• A higher proportion of residents ‘completely’ follow the rules and guidance compared to Wave 1 (+9 percentage points).
• Levels of trust in information and advice from Portsmouth City Council have increased in Wave 2 (+6 percentage points).
• Only 4% of people feel completely satisfied with life nowadays. This is similar to Wave 1 results, however residents are generally less satisfied with life nowadays (Wave 2).
• The top concerns for residents are the same as Wave 1 where residents are most concerned about their friends or family catching the virus and other people not following the rules and guidelines, although by slightly lower percentages.
• Similar to Wave 1 results, most residents feel that spending less time travelling is the key thing that had changed their lifestyle for the better.
• Households with children suffered more from the outbreak; 46% reported that the outbreak had a negative impact on their household finances (an increase of 22 percentage points from Wave 1).
• In this wave of research, more residents expect to spend more on culture and leisure activities (30% compared to 8% in Wave 1).
• Over half (57%) reported to be unlikely to travel using public transport again when it is encouraged.
• The overwhelming majority of respondents (96%) say they would stay at home and self-isolate if they developed one or more symptom.

• A clear majority of respondents (92%) would get a test if they experienced one or more Coronavirus symptoms.

The research used a predominantly quantitative survey approach which was self-completing and mostly online. Residents who were not able to complete the survey online were given the option to take part over the phone. The survey was promoted through various marketing and communication channels:

• Press release announcing start of consultation and focus on impact of coronavirus / budget plans
• Social media promotion including boosted posts and adverts
• New story on website and promoted on homepage banner and banner that runs across the whole site as well as your city your say page
• Inclusions in news bulletins – all subscriber coronavirus bulletin, Your City Your Say, Family Life, Flag It Up, Business Bulletin
• Inclusion in staff bulletins and all-staff emails
• Newsletter copy and social post/links shared with partner organisations

• Telephone surveying through the City Helpdesk using the offline consultation database (established in wave one)