What did almost 3,000 Lancaster District and Blackburn with Darwen residents say when asked about their life in a 30-minute population survey by Lancaster University? How can we respond to the things local people say are important to them and use the insights to develop collaboration and research opportunities?

A new Impact Accelerator project led by ImaginationLancaster in collaboration with Lancaster City Council and Blackburn Darwen Council funded by the AHRC, is promoting the Life Survey to UK researchers, local authorities and wider organisations who could utilise the data and insights effectively for public good.

The Life Survey gathered views, attitudes and experiences of Lancaster District and Blackburn with Darwen residents through a survey co-designed with officers from the two Local Authorities. The wide-ranging survey undertaken by BMG Research contains valuable insights in demographics, sustainability, digital, local priorities, safety, physical and mental health, travel and transport, housing, food poverty, employment, social integration and more. The results provide a large data set and six case studies and a data visualisation dashboard developed in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult. The Life Survey was funded by UKRI Research England as part of the Beyond Imagination project.

A series of Introducing the Life Survey events will be held on Teams throughout 2023. The events will:

• Introduce the Life Survey
• Share key insights
• Explain how to access topline reports, dataset and dashboard
• Promote opportunities for deeper engagement with the dataset and dashboard
• Q&A and discussion around collaboration opportunities and interest in the data

The introductory events will be followed by further workshops facilitating deep dives into the dataset and data visualisation dashboard. A mind map visualising the themes and Life Survey questions can be viewed here.

If you are interested in attending or hosting an event to explore the Life Survey please contact David Perez d.perez@lancaster.ac.uk 

Accessing the Life Survey reports, dataset and dashboard

Beyond Imagination Life Survey: Topline Reports and Case Studies
BMG Research Topline Reports of the Life Survey findings and six case studies created in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult are available to view and download below.

BMG Research Topline Reports
Lancaster District Topline Report
Blackburn with Darwen Topline Report
Lancaster Blackburn Comparison Topline Report
Life Survey BMG Research Technical Report

Catapult Case Studies
Employment and the Public Realm
Food Insecurity in the Lancaster District
Hidden Poverty and Child Poverty
Mental Health and Wellbeing in Blackburn with Darwen
Social Isolation and Integration in Blackburn with Darwen
Sustainability in the Lancaster District
Life Survey Catapult Data Analysis report

Life Survey: Data Dashboard
A data visualisation dashboard for the Life Survey has been created in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult. Access to the data dashboard is restricted to Lancaster University researchers and officers in Lancaster City Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council. Lancaster University host and manage the data dashboard with access granted on a role-based basis. Conditions for access and a password protected log on to the dashboard can be requested by emailing Lydia at lifesurvey@lancaster.ac.uk

Life Survey Dataset
Access to the anonymised Life Survey dataset is restricted to researchers within UK universities. The dataset is available on request with an appropriate Data Access Agreement. To request access and receive further information about the dataset and conditions for access please email Lydia at lifesurvey@lancaster.ac.uk

Local Authority Officer requests to access the dataset

An Information Sharing Agreement has been signed between ImaginationLancaster, Lancaster City Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council to facilitate the sharing of the Life Survey dataset with the local authorities. Access will be granted to officers on a role based basis.

Officers within Lancaster City Council should contact Kirsty Chekansky with dataset access requests.
Email: kchekansky@Lancaster.gov.uk

Officers within Blackburn with Darwen Council should contact Elise Carroll with dataset access requests.
Email: elise.carroll@blackburn.gov.uk

The Life Survey questionnaire can be downloaded here.