Lisburn City Council, Northern Ireland's newest city council has re-commissioned Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) to conduct strata surveys with young people aged between 11 and 16.

This is the third time that the Council has commissioned the survey that quantifies the participation rates of young people in sport as well as gathers data on health and lifestyle. The intelligence generated is used to place education, sports and youth development and engagement strategies in a wider context, to establish baseline figures for social inclusion and to develop programmes aimed at increasing participation rates alongside developing and meeting targets for individual and community health.

KKP will examine ongoing trends in participation in, and awareness levels of, sport and physical activity in Years 7, 9 and 11, focusing on the differences between the three points in personal development. It will also, building upon the existing knowledge base about participation in the City, evaluate the apparent decline between the year groups for many activities.

This regular review of trends has enabled the Council to determine the impact of initiatives intended to influence headline performance indicators for sport and physical activities. Brendan Courtney, Sports Development Manager, is responsible for commissioning the work. He believes that this bank of management information built up by KKP over the past 6 years is now integral to informing Council strategy and policy. It has supported the acquisition of funding for a Community Sport Programme (£150,000) as well as being a contributing factor to Lisburn City Council becoming the first Sports Development Unit in Northern Ireland to achieve Quest Accreditation.

The KKP strata survey is one of the most comprehensive datasets in the country, with the added benefit of incorporating the direct responses of over 150,000 young people, not simply the views of teachers or other adults responsible for their well being. In recent years KKP has delivered surveys for over 100 local authorities and LEAs, providing significant benchmarking for individual local authorities (LAs), local education authorities (LEAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs).

Since 2001, KKP has, working closely with its clients, continuously developed its systems, refined questions, invested in the latest software and hardware (the survey can be completed on paper or online) and the depth and ‘interpretability' of its GIS mapping. This has enhanced and improved survey processes and outcomes and the Company's facility to offer clients a wide range of option to stratify, compare change over time, to track specific cohorts of young people or to extend its reach via on-line completion options.

For further details, please contact:

Peter Millward

Principal Consultant

Tel: 0161 764 7040