Adding Value and Insight

The local government research team works to provide clients and the wider sector with a broader understanding and narrative around the factors influencing customer satisfaction and drivers of high performance and reputation.

Managing Performance

Our latest work on the 2008 Place Survey results (Mind the Gap: Frontiers of Performance in Local Government V) looks at the extent to which perception ratings in different local areas are higher or lower than we would expect given local circumstances (and in turn providing a ‘gap’ score which shows whether perceptions are more or less positive than we would expect given local circumstances).

Understanding Reputation

Ipsos MORI has led the way in research on the reputation of local government. For example, to support the forthcoming ‘My Council' Campaign, the Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned Ipsos MORI to examine how residents perceive local authorities and why. The subsequent report, The Reputation of Local Government, provides a detailed scrutiny of the issues local authorities need to consider,  including relations with the local media.

This follows from previous research entitled What drives satisfaction with local government?  The project launched 10 key actions that all authorities have been asked to undertake to help improve reputation.

Improving Communications

To modernise successfully, councils must capture the attention and imagination of their local communities. Research by the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute has shown a strong link between resident satisfaction with their council and how well the council keeps them informed. Recent research we conducted on behalf of CLG, LGA and IDeA was used to inform a good practice "toolkit" which offers practical support to those authorities committed to improving their communications.  This can be found on the IDeA Knowledge website.