Poor mental health and rising living costs are some of the factors that contributed to a dip in quality of life for Bristol residents over the pandemic, according to a new report.
The Quality of Life report, published annually by Bristol City Council since 2001, aims to determine how satisfied residents are with areas of their lives in the city such as community, housing, wellbeing and transport.
The survey was posted to 33,000 Bristol households chosen at random in 2021 and received 4,360 responses, 3,870 of which were deemed ‘usable’ by the authority.
The results show a ‘challenging picture’ with 30 indicators ‘worse than last year’.
1. ‘Below average’ mental wellbeing
Under Health and Wellbeing, the report found that the percentage of people suffering with ‘below average’ mental health increased over the pandemic (20%, up from 15% in 2019). People also exercised less and didn’t see family and friends as often as they wanted to. There was also a 2% increase in households relying on food banks. Photo: Adobe
2. Increase in littering
Under Sustainabilty and Environment, 82% of Bristolians felt that street litter was a problem locally (up from 81% in 2019). There was also a drop in residents reducing their household waste due to concerns over climate change. Photo: Bristol Waste
3. Gentrification
Under Community and Living, the report found that the percentage of people who felt they lacked the information to get involved with their community increased over the pandemic (31% up from 28% in 2019). The number of Bristolians volunteering decreased, and there was a significant increase in the percentage of residents (33% up from 21% in 2019) who noticed ‘gentrification’ taking place in their area, which they felt was having a negative impact.
4. Fear of crime
The report found in its Crime and Safety indicators that the percentage of people whose fear of crime affected their daily lives in the city increased over the pandemic (19% up from 16% in 2019). Only a quarter (25%) of people believed police were doing enough to tackle anti-social behaviour in their area. Photo: Chris Etchells