Press Release

Ipsos MORI survey reveals optimism in the Northwest

14th May 2009

• More Northwest businesses feel that their region has improved as a place to do business in the last 2 years compared with the country as a whole
• Overall perceptions of the region amongst UK residents remains positive

New research from Ipsos MORI, commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), has found that perceptions of England’s Northwest as a place live, visit and do business have shown a steady, and in some areas significant, improvement over the past 8 years.

The research - Perceptions of England’s Northwest 2008-2009 - is the fourth wave of the perceptions study conducted by MORI and is the longest piece of regional “place perceptions” measurement in the UK, with previous research undertaken in 2001, 2003 and 2006.

More than 3,800 interviews were conducted across the country as part of the survey. The overall perception of the region amongst UK residents remains positive (34% associate the region as being successful). This is consistent with 2006 results and shows a marked improvement from the 2001 benchmark of 22%.

Northwest businesses are more likely to feel that their region has improved as a place to do business in the last two years – 45% compared to their counterparts in other UK regions (34%). The main areas of improvement are availability of graduates, improvement in transport links and a perception that the image of the region has improved.

The region also rated highly as a place to live – Northwest residents are more positive about the region as a place to live than they were in 2001, with just under 9 in 10 respondents claiming to be very or fairly satisfied with the area.

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA, said:

“This significant piece of work highlights how perceptions of the Northwest have changed over the last 8 years. The region is now viewed regionally and nationally as a much better place to live, work and do business than it was when we first commissioned this research in 2001. This is testimony to the hard work of the Agency and our partners in driving real change in the region, enhancing and promoting its key assets in order to transform the Northwest’s image and highlight its key strengths.

Whilst the changing economic climate has undoubtedly had an impact on perceptions of the region’s economic outlook, as is the case with the national economy, the main message from the findings is that confidence in the region amongst Northwest and UK residents, businesses and opinion formers remain high. We must continue to build on this shift in perception going forward and take every opportunity to ensure it maintains momentum.”

Amongst other findings, Northwest and UK opinion leaders continued to feel that the Northwest is as good a place to live as anywhere in Europe. There has also been an increase in the number of UK opinion leaders who feel quality of life is the same or better than in other parts of the UK.

As a place to do business, Northwest opinion leaders are more positive about the region as a business location, compared to other parts of the UK and Europe. Businesses in the region cite good infrastructure and transport links (28%), a competitive business environment (26%), availability of grants (19%) and skilled/efficient labour in the area (13%) as the region’s main strengths.

The region also performed strongly as a tourist destination, with 89% of residents agreeing that the Northwest is a good place for visitors. Northwest residents also indicated that the cultural provision has improved since 2006 (57% agreeing).

However, due to the economic downturn, the economic health of the region and the UK has been more negative than in previous waves of the survey, with higher levels of pessimism towards the economic condition of both the Northwest and the country as a whole for the next 12 months.