Survey
A while ago I did a very small survey about the place where I live, which is Cambridge. I used an online survey maker called Survey Monkey, which I like, mainly because it's very easy to use. I mainly only did it because I was bored, but I think the results are interesting. It followed on from a survey which I called "A survey about you". This asked, among other things, what do you collect, and what's your favourite colour?
Here's the first page that I used in my survey:
I've written this survey because I grew up in Cambridge but lived in London for 4 years before returning to Cambridge. I find it very difficult to think about what Cambridge is like, but I have a clear idea of what other cities (for instance, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City) are like. I think I will try and do a series of surveys (past, present, sub-cultures etc) about Cambridge and I might use the answers on my blog (http://81155446.blogspot.com/). Where the word Cambridge is used in this survey, it means Cambridge and surrounding villages (if you consider them to be part of Cambridge). All questions are optional. The reason why I have asked the first question is that I would not feel comfortable making the answers public without consent. The survey is designed so that it should not be possible to identify who has answered it, or what answers they have given. I think this follows standard practice in social sciences, but it's a long time since I did any so I have forgotten. Fingers crossed.
This is the actual survey:
1. Do you agree for your answers to be used and shared anonymously (not for profit)?
Yes
No
2. Were you born in Cambridge?
Yes
No
3. If no, were you parents born in Cambridge?
Yes, both
Yes, one
No, neither
4. Do you feel generally happy living in Cambridge?
Yes
No
5. What's the best thing about Cambridge?
6. What's the worst thing about Cambridge?
7. What three things do you think make Cambridge different from other areas/ towns in the UK?
8. What is your favourite area of Cambridge?
Arbury
North City (Not Arbury)
Chesterton
Mill Road
Newnham area
City Centre
Surrounding village(s)
Hills Road
Cherry Hinton
West Road area
Other
9. Which of the following, in your opinion, has had the most impact on Cambridge over the last 20 years?
The University
Proximity to London
Changes in rural life
Government policy
10. What single thing would you do to improve Cambridge?
The answers are below:
1. Do you agree for your answers to be used and shared anonymously (not for profit)?
Yes
100.0%
17
No
0.0%
0
2. Were you born in Cambridge?
Yes
35.3%
6
No
64.7%
11
3. If no, were you parents born in Cambridge?
Responses
Yes, both
0.0%
0
Yes, one
0.0%
0
No, neither
100.0%
11
4. Do you feel generally happy living in Cambridge?
Yes
76.5%
13
No
23.5%
4
5. What's the best thing about Cambridge?
cycling
Strawberry Fair
the holier than thou attitude
Green spaces and art and music scenes.
Green spaces and lack of heavy industry means it's much cleaner environment than most cities.
A variety of pubs and restaurants
Beautiful architecture
summertime atmosphere - everyone out and about by the river
The University
Proximity to London, while still having some interesting things to do
The international mix combined with a small-town feel.
Mill Roads multi ethnic community
The people.
not sure
not-sure
arts picturehouse, Mill Rd
6.What's the worst thing about Cambridge?
cycling
Not enough music venues/pubs
the holier than thou attitude
Arsehole Cambridge students who think they are god incarnate.
Traffic, poor planning process, retail parks are situated in city boundary making the traffic flow around East side unbearable.
Chavs
prices
Horrendous house prices
Cost of things (maybe because its near London) and that a lot of control is held by the gown side, it has 'no' scene
The traffic.
Snobbish students
People constantly moaning about Cambridge.
everyone looks at me like im scum
studentsapathy
Police happy, middle of the road culture
7. What three things do you think make Cambridge different from other areas/ towns in the UK?
cycling, interesting people, flat
The peopleThe diversity of shopsThe university
bikescowsthat big thing where people get cleverer
Large green spaces, Mill Road, Strawberry Fair.
Parks, punting, flat landscape
Historic CollegesNice parksA lot of cycles on the road compared to other towns
gown culture, high turnover population with students, history
inner city parkstransient population - people coming for just a few yearsyouth
Intelligent conversationsPublic parks - especially by the riverLots of stuff in a small place
Museums (very good for place this small)The University (though its a two edged sword in positives and negatives)River Cam
Better weather than mostUniversity presenceTourism
Sizecommunityoppertunity
The colleges. The concentration of hi-tech businesses. Being the 'big town' that serves a large and very rural area.
dunno
crazy transport schemesastronomic parking chargestransient population
Kings College, Trinity Hall, Jesus College
8. What is your favourite area of Cambridge?
Arbury
5.9%
1
North City (Not Arbury)
11.8%
2
Chesterton
5.9%
1
Mill Road
35.3%
6
Newnham area
11.8%
2
City Centre
17.6%
3
Surrounding village(s)
0.0%
0
Hills Road
0.0%
0
Cherry Hinton
0.0%
0
West Road area
0.0%
0
Other
11.8%
2
9. Which of the following, in your opinion, has had the most impact on Cambridge over the last 20 years?
The University
47.1%
8
Proximity to London
41.2%
7
Changes in rural life
0.0%
0
Government policy
11.8%
2
10. What single thing would you do to improve Cambridge?
improve facilities for cycling
Pedestrianise all of the city centre
mind my own business
Take some control back from the University so they don't control everyfkkingthing.
Get developers/planning dept at the city council actually listening to residents and being made to take on board their ideas and respect them - that would have meant a railway not a guided bus and an end to high rise development planning applications and other wastes of time.
Banning of Chavs
Redesign the leisure centre to make it look more friendly - benches, trees, fountain, etc...
make it cheaper to live there.
Better housing
Remove Lion Yard and Grafton Centre, have more shops on streets, more community for areas
Install a monorail system.
Get rid of the university
Dynamite the Retail Parks on Newmarket Road and Hills Road.
get the louts off the streets
small nuclear device - start again ???
Ditch the cars !!
I was pleased to see monorail in there as a suggestions (it's a Simpson's joke), but there are also some very seriously good suggestions. I was surprised that so few people were born in Cambridge. It's a very small and unrepresentative sample though. Unfortunately I got the next question the wrong way round, so it didn't really tell me much. There's a lot to think about in the other answers too.
I think I'll do a few more, maybe about the music scene in Cambridge, social and spare time activities, Cambridge shopping, and working in Cambridge. Then my Cambridge project will be over.
Here's the first page that I used in my survey:
I've written this survey because I grew up in Cambridge but lived in London for 4 years before returning to Cambridge. I find it very difficult to think about what Cambridge is like, but I have a clear idea of what other cities (for instance, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City) are like. I think I will try and do a series of surveys (past, present, sub-cultures etc) about Cambridge and I might use the answers on my blog (http://81155446.blogspot.com/). Where the word Cambridge is used in this survey, it means Cambridge and surrounding villages (if you consider them to be part of Cambridge). All questions are optional. The reason why I have asked the first question is that I would not feel comfortable making the answers public without consent. The survey is designed so that it should not be possible to identify who has answered it, or what answers they have given. I think this follows standard practice in social sciences, but it's a long time since I did any so I have forgotten. Fingers crossed.
This is the actual survey:
1. Do you agree for your answers to be used and shared anonymously (not for profit)?
Yes
No
2. Were you born in Cambridge?
Yes
No
3. If no, were you parents born in Cambridge?
Yes, both
Yes, one
No, neither
4. Do you feel generally happy living in Cambridge?
Yes
No
5. What's the best thing about Cambridge?
6. What's the worst thing about Cambridge?
7. What three things do you think make Cambridge different from other areas/ towns in the UK?
8. What is your favourite area of Cambridge?
Arbury
North City (Not Arbury)
Chesterton
Mill Road
Newnham area
City Centre
Surrounding village(s)
Hills Road
Cherry Hinton
West Road area
Other
9. Which of the following, in your opinion, has had the most impact on Cambridge over the last 20 years?
The University
Proximity to London
Changes in rural life
Government policy
10. What single thing would you do to improve Cambridge?
The answers are below:
1. Do you agree for your answers to be used and shared anonymously (not for profit)?
Yes
100.0%
17
No
0.0%
0
2. Were you born in Cambridge?
Yes
35.3%
6
No
64.7%
11
3. If no, were you parents born in Cambridge?
Responses
Yes, both
0.0%
0
Yes, one
0.0%
0
No, neither
100.0%
11
4. Do you feel generally happy living in Cambridge?
Yes
76.5%
13
No
23.5%
4
5. What's the best thing about Cambridge?
cycling
Strawberry Fair
the holier than thou attitude
Green spaces and art and music scenes.
Green spaces and lack of heavy industry means it's much cleaner environment than most cities.
A variety of pubs and restaurants
Beautiful architecture
summertime atmosphere - everyone out and about by the river
The University
Proximity to London, while still having some interesting things to do
The international mix combined with a small-town feel.
Mill Roads multi ethnic community
The people.
not sure
not-sure
arts picturehouse, Mill Rd
6.What's the worst thing about Cambridge?
cycling
Not enough music venues/pubs
the holier than thou attitude
Arsehole Cambridge students who think they are god incarnate.
Traffic, poor planning process, retail parks are situated in city boundary making the traffic flow around East side unbearable.
Chavs
prices
Horrendous house prices
Cost of things (maybe because its near London) and that a lot of control is held by the gown side, it has 'no' scene
The traffic.
Snobbish students
People constantly moaning about Cambridge.
everyone looks at me like im scum
studentsapathy
Police happy, middle of the road culture
7. What three things do you think make Cambridge different from other areas/ towns in the UK?
cycling, interesting people, flat
The peopleThe diversity of shopsThe university
bikescowsthat big thing where people get cleverer
Large green spaces, Mill Road, Strawberry Fair.
Parks, punting, flat landscape
Historic CollegesNice parksA lot of cycles on the road compared to other towns
gown culture, high turnover population with students, history
inner city parkstransient population - people coming for just a few yearsyouth
Intelligent conversationsPublic parks - especially by the riverLots of stuff in a small place
Museums (very good for place this small)The University (though its a two edged sword in positives and negatives)River Cam
Better weather than mostUniversity presenceTourism
Sizecommunityoppertunity
The colleges. The concentration of hi-tech businesses. Being the 'big town' that serves a large and very rural area.
dunno
crazy transport schemesastronomic parking chargestransient population
Kings College, Trinity Hall, Jesus College
8. What is your favourite area of Cambridge?
Arbury
5.9%
1
North City (Not Arbury)
11.8%
2
Chesterton
5.9%
1
Mill Road
35.3%
6
Newnham area
11.8%
2
City Centre
17.6%
3
Surrounding village(s)
0.0%
0
Hills Road
0.0%
0
Cherry Hinton
0.0%
0
West Road area
0.0%
0
Other
11.8%
2
9. Which of the following, in your opinion, has had the most impact on Cambridge over the last 20 years?
The University
47.1%
8
Proximity to London
41.2%
7
Changes in rural life
0.0%
0
Government policy
11.8%
2
10. What single thing would you do to improve Cambridge?
improve facilities for cycling
Pedestrianise all of the city centre
mind my own business
Take some control back from the University so they don't control everyfkkingthing.
Get developers/planning dept at the city council actually listening to residents and being made to take on board their ideas and respect them - that would have meant a railway not a guided bus and an end to high rise development planning applications and other wastes of time.
Banning of Chavs
Redesign the leisure centre to make it look more friendly - benches, trees, fountain, etc...
make it cheaper to live there.
Better housing
Remove Lion Yard and Grafton Centre, have more shops on streets, more community for areas
Install a monorail system.
Get rid of the university
Dynamite the Retail Parks on Newmarket Road and Hills Road.
get the louts off the streets
small nuclear device - start again ???
Ditch the cars !!
I was pleased to see monorail in there as a suggestions (it's a Simpson's joke), but there are also some very seriously good suggestions. I was surprised that so few people were born in Cambridge. It's a very small and unrepresentative sample though. Unfortunately I got the next question the wrong way round, so it didn't really tell me much. There's a lot to think about in the other answers too.
I think I'll do a few more, maybe about the music scene in Cambridge, social and spare time activities, Cambridge shopping, and working in Cambridge. Then my Cambridge project will be over.
Comments
Post a Comment