Using statistics to identify regeneration needs

Statistics provide objective evidence for regeneration by highlighting issues like unemployment, poverty, and demographic imbalances. Local authorities use various sources to build a picture of an area's challenges, allowing them to target specific problems.

Census data

Census data is collected every ten years and offers detailed insights into population characteristics.

Key uses of census data:

• Population structure - Details on age, sex, and ethnicity help identify groups that may be underrepresented or 'missing', such as young professionals that authorities might want to attract through regeneration.
• Impact on regeneration planning - This information shows who will be affected by projects.

However, since censuses occur infrequently, the data can become outdated, requiring supplementation with more recent surveys.

Labour Force Survey

The Labour Force Survey is a regular study that tracks employment trends across regions.

Key insights from the Labour Force Survey:

• Average income and job types - It reveals earnings for different occupations and the kinds of work local people do.
• Identifying labour market gaps - For instance, if high unemployment exists among office workers, regeneration might focus on creating administrative jobs rather than manual ones to address specific needs.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is a tool that ranks areas based on levels of disadvantage.

How the IMD works:

• It uses seven criteria to assess small geographical areas.
• This allows precise targeting of regeneration, addressing specific needs within those areas.

Considerations for using statistical data

Stakeholders, including local councils, businesses, development companies, and environmentalists, should remember that statistical data can quickly become outdated. This is particularly true for census data, which is collected only every ten years. Additionally, statistics do not fully capture people's subjective feelings about a place.

The role of media in contrasting regeneration needs

While statistics offer factual data, media representations provide subjective views that can influence perceptions of a place. These portrayals shape how people see an area's challenges and regeneration requirements, but they may not always be accurate.

Types of media influence

• Television, films, and news - Dramas and broadcasts create a 'sense of place', highlighting issues like community relationships or economic struggles. For example, shows might dramatise poverty to add tension, potentially stigmatising areas unfairly.
• Print media - Newspapers and books (fictional or non-fictional) can emphasise stakeholder needs or group dynamics, but writers may exaggerate positives or negatives for storytelling purposes.

Media can be controversial as it risks unfairly labelling places, yet positive depictions, like in TV series, can boost tourism and indirectly support regeneration.

Example of media impact:

• The TV series 'Poldark' romanticised Cornwall's coastline, leading to a tourism boom.

Case study - Liverpool's regeneration needs

Liverpool's data from the 1980s revealed significant issues, prompting regeneration efforts over subsequent decades.

Key statistical indicators from the 1981 census

• Employment challenges - 26% of economically active males lacked full-time jobs, with many in low-skilled roles like material processing or transporting.

Most common forms of employment in Liverpool (1981):

• Housing issues - 5.9% of homes accommodated six or more people, and 5.2% lacked indoor toilets.
• Environmental problems - The River Mersey was heavily polluted with mercury, lead, and raw sewage, recording high heavy metal levels in the 1970s and 1980s, necessitating large-scale cleanup.

These statistics suggested an urgent need for regeneration.

Media depictions

Programmes like 'The Liver Birds' and 'Bread' portrayed working-class family life, reflecting local priorities.

Case study - Lerwick's regeneration needs

Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, presents a mixed picture where some data indicates regeneration potential, but comparisons with broader Scottish trends suggest less urgency.

Key statistical indicators from 2011 and later

• Employment patterns - Less than 1% long-term unemployment in 2011, but jobs focused on low-wage services and trades (17% in skilled trades vs. 13% Scotland-wide), with only 7% in managerial roles.
• Environmental concerns - Proposals for improved transport links, like bridges or tunnels, raised risks of introducing non-native species to sensitive ecosystems, as per a 2006 environmental quality survey.

Crime data showed low violence (1.3% of crimes in 2019 vs. 1.6% in Scotland).

Media depictions

The TV drama 'Shetland' (first aired 2013) portrayed isolated communities with high murder rates, potentially exaggerating social issues and implying a need for better community cohesion, despite low actual crime rates.