Urban problems and public dissatisfaction in the metropolitan areas of England

Abstract

Bentham C. G. (1983) Urban problems and public dissatisfaction in the metropolitan areas of England, Reg. Studies 17, 339–346. Since most studies of urban conditions in English cities have used ‘objective’ rather than ‘subjective’ indicators there is no guarantee that the picture they provide is in accord with the general public's view as to which areas have the greatest problems. Using information from the National Dwelling and Housing Survey an assessment is made of the correlation between public dissatisfaction with their area of residence and a variety of indicators of the economic, social and environmental conditions of the metropolitan areas of England. It is found that satisfaction is more closely related to economic circumstances than to housing conditions. Some reasons for the observed correlations are suggested and the implications of the results for urban indicators research are discussed.