In April and May 2007 we asked Couch members about how we were going on The Couch. The poll covered all aspects of the website including its design, the regular emails, results reports and security. We also wanted to know whether people believed their responses were helping the Families Commission to improve policies, services and support for families, along with any suggestions for changes or improvements.
Thanks to the members who completed the “One year on The Couch” poll. With your feedback in mind we will be making improvements to The Couch and the way we communicate with members. All comments have been read and data analysed, and some upgrades have already started.
The 668 Couch members who filled in the poll are generally a tech-savvy group with lots of expertise using websites: 88% were online daily with just 1.5% going online once a week or less. Seventy eight percent of respondents were female and 22% male, most of who live in an urban area (84%). Seventy three percent were aged 30-50 years and 18% older than 50 years.
The largest number of unprompted comments was positive ones about The Couch. Over 70 people said they appreciated the work we are doing.
Keep it up and represent our views to govt departments.
I like that it exists. It is good to have a voice even if it is only multiple-choice.
I think the couch is great. I don’t always have time to fill in the questionnaires/ polls, but it’s so nice to be asked.
Something very important to Couch members is knowing that their input is making a difference for families. Large numbers of comments were by people who want to hold the Commission to account for the time and effort members put into sharing their views and experiences.
Would be good to know what impact the results have had on policy or organisations.
It would be nice to see a clearer connection with the poll outcome and what happens with it.
The majority of members believe responses to polls help the Commission to improve services, support and policies for families, 22% had no opinion and 18% didn’t know.
About three quarters of respondents said the website was very easy to use. Twenty-one percent said it was generally easy to use but they had some problems.
Seventy six percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their personal information was kept confidential and secure, 9% had no opinion and 14% said they did not know.
Based on your feedback, we will concentrate on the way we communicate with members about what is achieved after information is collected from the polls. Our aim is to increase the number of members who believe their involvement in The Couch helps the Commission to improve services, policies and support for families.
Members thought most parts of The Couch generally worked well. The number, format and frequency of emails were considered about right. Very few negative comments were received about the reports.
We will look into the problems that 21% of respondents said they sometimes experience. Comments made by Couch members have helped us identify some problems or concerns that we previously did not know about. The list of problems and suggestions included:
There were also some general comments, such as, some people said they like the layout whereas others wanted it changed, and again, some people said they like the colours and others did not.
If you ever have a problem or have got other suggestions, you can get in touch with us by using the help or enquiries email addresses listed at the bottom of every page.
Some people questioned whether the membership is representative and whether the Commission is predisposed to certain outcomes. We will take steps to give people more information about the membership and the quality assurance processes used when we design questions. Our aim is to allow people to form their own views based on background information being openly available.
Over the coming months we will make some immediate improvements and plan for some new features, including more regular news about what we do with the results. We will also make it easier for you to print and share reports. The question of whether a discussion forum function will be introduced needs more work, as most people responded that they might (51%) or definitely wouldn’t (29%) visit the website more often if online discussion was offered. Many other suggestions were made which we will work through.
Answers to this poll are rich a resource which greatly contributes to improving The Couch. Thanks to everyone who took the time to help make The Couch a better place to visit.
