Indicator Rationale

Community wellbeing depends on people having a say on important issues and a sense of choice or control over their lives.  In a democratic community, people participate in decision making via the local government.  People have confidence that government will make good decisions so that individuals feel that their voice is being heard in the wider community leading to greater community wellbeing.

Data Source

Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), Indicators of Community Strength at the Local Government Area Level in Victoria

Data were collected in telephone surveys conducted in October 2004 and January 2006.  In each LGA in Victoria, 300 residents over the age of 18 were surveyed.  This is the same sample size as used in the CIV Survey.

DPCD cautions against using the data from the two surveys for time trend analysis.  For a number of reasons (including sampling variability), data can fluctuate considerably from one survey to the next, potentially masking overall trends.  In addition, the two surveys conducted were not run at the same time of the year, and therefore some results may reflect seasonal variation.

Measure

People Who Feel They Have a Say on Important Issues: expressed as a percentage of the adult population.

The response category "Yes, definitely" has been used to derive the measure.

Survey Question

Do you feel there are opportunities to have a real say on issues that are important to you? Yes, definitely; Sometimes; No, not at all.

References

Hill M and Wiseman J (2004) What is community strengthening and why does it matter?  Session 1 in Wiseman J (ed) Local Government, Leadership and Community Strengthening: the Cranlana Programme occasional Publication No 4. Cranlana Programme Foundation: Melbourne.