SIRA News: Comparison of 2016 and 2024 surveys

Comparison of 2016 and 2024 surveys

SIRA NEWS

31 August 2024

Comparison of 2016 and 2024 surveys: what has changed?

The recent SIRA survey (see the results reported in the SIRA News of 5 August 2024) contained similar questions to the 2016 survey. Here we provide a brief comparison of the two. View a spreadsheet comparing the two surveys.  

Demographics

Have you had the feeling there are fewer new residents and some of the newbies don’t stick around too long? This perception is supported by the successive surveys, but these results need to be treated with caution given the surveys only compare respondents, not the island’s full population.

In 2016, around 27% of respondents had lived here more than 20 years while in 2024 that figure ballooned to 40%. At the other end of the scale, in 2016 there were 30% in the 0-to-5-year residency category, and that figure plummeted to 17% in the 2024 survey.

What is important to the community: the top five

What was important to the community in 2016 (ranked):

1. Church Point parking (85%)
2. Waste management (79%) AND Wharves & marine issues (79%)
3. Roads & drainage (77%)
4. SIRA services (including Emergency water AND the Community vehicle) 75%
5. Sustainability, conservation and land management 68%) – not an item in 2024

What is very important/important to the community in 2024

1. Water and wastewater (96%)
2. Roads and drainage (93%)
3. Emergency water (90%) AND Waste management and green waste (90%)
4. Wharves and marine issues (86%) AND Provision of information to the community (86%)
5. Church Point parking (83%)

Similar items occupy the top five in importance in the two survey years, and you can see the level of importance for almost all items is higher in 2024 than in 2016. This trend is mirrored by the percentage of respondents selecting ‘Neutral/no opinion’. In 2024 only one item reached over 18% for Neutral/Don’t care (24% for Community vehicle), and five items were under 10%. In 2016, between 28% – 36% of respondents selected Neutral/Don’t care for four items and only one came in under 10%. This seems to indicate a more engaged and informed community.

The graphic below shows this comparison in visual format.

SIRA’s performance

Respondents were asked to rate SIRA’s performance in a list of areas. In 2016, they were only given Satisfactory, I don’t know or Unsatisfactory categories. In 2024, there was a five-point scale (Excellent, Satisfactory, Neutral/no opinion, Unsatisfactory, and Poor).

The list of items to rate SIRA on in 2024 was identical to the list of topics in the previous question about what was important. In 2016, there was a slightly different list, not including all items.

What was SIRA doing well in 2016: the top five

1. Church Point parking (52%)
2. Waste management and green waste (42%)
3. Water and wastewater (42%)
4. Roads and drainage (41%)
5. Parks and reserves 37%

What is SIRA doing well in 2024:

1. Emergency water (81%)
2. Provision of information to the community (77%)
3. Community engagement (66%) – this was not an item in 2016
4. Community vehicle (66%) – this was not an item in 2016
5. SIRA management (59%)

Overall, the rates of approval were significantly higher in 2024 with all items except 3 reaching at least 52% while in 2016 only one item reached an approval rating of 52% of respondents selecting ‘Satisfactory’ and the rest below that.

A similar trend can be seen in the ratings for Unsatisfactory/Poor in 2024, with three items – Roads and drainage (32%), Water and wastewater (27%) and Waste management (22%) –  with this rating, while in 2016 the highest ‘Unsatisfactory’ rating was 17%.  

Summary

The important topics have not varied hugely over the years, continuing to reflect the challenges we face on Scotland Island. There have been improvements in some areas, thanks to actions by Council and lobbying from SIRA and the community. SIRA can take heart from some of the results shown above, while noting areas where improvement is needed and where we need to consult and involve people more.

The island’s population are engaged and ready for more consultation and action – this was demonstrated by the attendance and participation in the recent Water and Wastewater forum held on August 18. SIRA will endeavour to hold more events to involve residents, and, in the meantime, encourages everyone to participate by joining a subcommittee. If you are interested, please contact the Team Leader for the area you’d like to join (see details here).