50 51 52 53

5.1 Getting a Living

5.1 1 All but 9 of the 1109 unmarried adults interviewed were going to work.

5.1 2 Distances Travelled to Work

The analysis of the distance travelled to work by unmarried adults showed that a large proportion (39%) had over 1¼ miles to travel for a single journey. Details are given in the figure below:-

Figure 11

Distances travelled by unmarried working women were rather shorter than those of the sample as a whole, there being 60% who travelled less than 1¼ miles and 33% who travelled more than 1¼ miles. Distances travelled by the unmarried men were rather longer, 44% having a journey of more than 1¼ miles. A comparison of the distances travelled by the two groups is given below:-

Figure 12

5.1 3 Time Taken to Get to Work

44% of unmarried adults spent only 12 minutes in travelling to work, a few - 10% of them had a journey taking a long time - over 40 minutes; thus showing the tendency already seen in the other sections that the journey to work is kept reasonably short in terms of time.

Figure

There was no significant difference between the two groups of time taken to travel to work.

5.1 4 Method of Travelling to Work

430 of unmarried adults walked to work, 5% cycled and 49% used Passenger Transport Services. Of this latter group a small proportion - 7% walked a part of their journey to work.

There were some small differences between the transport habits of men and women in this group. Very few women cycled - 1%, whereas 9% of men used cycles to get to work. There was a larger proportion of women who walked than men - 47% compared with 38%. A slightly larger proportion of men used Public Transport Services than women. These factors account for the fact that although as a group men travel further than women, there is no difference in the time taken to travel to work by each of the two groups.

5.1 5 The Cost of Travelling to Work

46% of the unmarried adults had travelling expenses, most of which were between 1/- and 4/- per week.

Figure 14

There were no really significant differences between the transport costs of men and women.

5.1 6 Relation of the Home to the Work Place

74% of the unmarried adults considered their home was convenient to their work place, 21% thought it was not convenient. There were no significant differences between the opinions of the men and women in this sample.

In answer to the question “Is it important to have your home near to your work place”? 53% of the sample thought it was very important, 20% thought it somewhat important 19% thought it not important and 8% were unable to give an opinion. There were again no significant differences between the two groups.

5.1 7 The Effect of Town Size

Towns have been grouped for this analysis into large towns, medium towns and small towns. The distances travelled were greatest in medium towns and least in small towns. The picture is given below:-

The only difference between the distance travelled by men and women was that men travelled rather further in large and medium towns. The number of men interviewed in small towns was too few to make a further comparison of this group possible.

Town size had a considerable influence on the time taken to travel to work. As will be expected, time was greatest in medium towns, next in large towns and least in small towns.

Transport costs were likewise heaviest in medium towns and least m small towns, where 67% either walked or cycled.

Answers to the question “How important is it to have your home convenient to your work?” showed two interesting differences between towns of various sizes. Small towns had the greatest proportion who said their home was not conveniently situated for their work - 26%, compared with 19% in medium towns and 22% in large towns. There was also a marked difference in attitude to the importance of having the home near to work. 76% of those living in small town said that it was very important compared with 46% in medium towns and 47% in large towns. On the other hand 6% of those living in small towns said it was not important compared with 22% in medium towns and 19% in large towns. It is possible that the fewer interests which exist in small towns have the effect of making the relationship of home to work relatively more important.

5.1 8. The Effect of Zone

The influence of zone on the distance travelled was very marked indeed, those living in the inner zone having relatively short journeys and those living in the outer zone having a large proportion (53%) with journeys of over 1¼ miles.

There were no very great differences between the men and women in this analysis.

The differences in time taken on journeys to work by those living in each of the zones was rather less than differences in the distance travelled. This follows from the greater use of Passenger Transport Services by those living in the outer zone. There were some differences, however, as will be seen below:-

The method of transport used showed important differences. 56% walked or cycled compared with 50% in the middle zone and 28% in the outer zone. Whereas 40% of those living in the inner zone used Passenger Transport Services 46% of those living in the middle zone used these services and 68% living in the outer zone.

The cost of transport to work incurred by the workers living in the three zones reflects these differences.

There were differences between the convenience of work to the home of the dwellers in the various zones. 78% of those living in the inner zone said that the relationship of their home to work was convenient compared with 75% in the middle zone and only 62% of those in the outer zone. When asked “How important is it that your home should be nearer your work”? 68% of those in the inner zone said that it was either very or somewhat important, compared with 69% in the middle zone, but only 58% of those in the outer zone, suggesting once again that dwellers in the outer zone are consciously sacrificing convenience in favour of the amenities of the outer zone.

5.1 9. The Influence of Age

In this analysis unmarried adults have been divided into three, groups; those between 13 - 18 years, 19 - 35 years and over 36 years.

Analysis of the distance travelled to work shows that the middle age groups has the largest proportions with longest journeys - 44% compared with 35% in the 13 to 18 years group and 32% in the 36 and over group.

The time taken to travel to work is similarly greater in the middle age group, 28% of them having journeys of more than 23 minutes-compared with 20% of the youngest group and 20% of the oldest group. The middle group likewise has the highest proportion with large transport costs.

The desire to have the home near to the work place is greatest in the oldest group where 78% say that it is either very or somewhat important, compared with 69% in the middle group and 67% in. the youngest group.

54 55 56

5.2 The Use of Leisure

5.2 1. Unmarried adults were asked about their visits both to sports grounds and to clubs. They were also asked to what other leisure interests they went and questions about the frequency of their visits, the distance and the convenience of these interests, to their home. As has been explained in relation to the Husband’s Questionnaire this particular method of eliciting the information in part by direct questions and in part by unprompted questions has the effect of overweighting the direct questions or underweighting the indirect questions.

Taking first of all the interests about which a direct question was asked, it was found that 19% of the unmarried adults visited sports grounds. These were 37% of the men in the sample and 9% of the women in the sample.

Clubs were visited by 19% of the whole sample which can be divided into 26% of the unmarried men and 15% of the unmarried women.

Other interests are listed in detail below. The most important of them, are cinema, attended by 77% of the unmarried adults, but by more women than men, indoor sports attended by 29% of the sample and church social activities attended by 21% of the sample.

5.2 2 Sports Grounds

The unmarried adults who visited sports grounds fell into main groups - regular visitors who attended once a week or more were 50% of those who went and occasional visitors were 45%. 5% did not state the frequency of their visits.

The distance travelled to Sports Grounds was in most cases over 1100 yards. 20% had to travel up to 600 yards, 11% up to 1100 yards, 26% between 1100 yards and 1¼ miles 29% between 1¼ and 3½ miles and 4% further than this. There were 10% who were unable to specify the distance they travelled or the Sports Ground they visited. A large proportion of these were people who only visited Sports Grounds occasionally or who did not always attend the same ground and were, therefore, unable to be specific.

33% of those visiting Sports Grounds had a journey of 12 minutes or less, 30% took between 13 and 22 minutes and 14% between 23 and 40 minutes. Some 19% were unable to specify the time it took them.

69% thought that their home was conveniently situated to the Sports Ground, 18% thought that it was not convenient, 41% thought it very important to have their home near a Sports Grounds, 22% somewhat important and 24% considered it not important.

There were no very great differences in the proportion of unmarried adults who attended Sports Grounds in the towns of different sizes although people living in the outer zones of large towns had a smaller proportion who visited Sports Grounds than those in the middle and inner zones. The differences, however, was small.

The facts refer to the sample as a whole, but it should be remembered that most of the unmarried adults who visited Sports Grounds - 184 out of the 257 were men.

5.2 3 The Club

The second interest about which a specific question was asked was visits to a club, hall or meeting place. These visits were made by 19% of the sample - 254. persons, of whom 130 were men and 124 women. These were respectively 26% and 15% of all unmarried men and women interviewed.

Those who used clubs or meeting places as a centre of interest were relatively frequent visitors; 6% went every day, 40% two or three times per week, 35% once a week and 14% occasionally. There was hardly any difference between the frequency of attendance of men and women.

38% of the clubs were within 600 yards of the home, .21% were between 600 and 1100 yards away, 19% between 1100 yards and 1¼ miles and some 13% further than this. There were again no important, differences between the distances travelled by the two sexes.

In 79% of cases the unmarried adult said that the house was conveniently situated to the club, 11% said that it was not. 43% thought it was very important to have the club near their home, 21% somewhat important, 19% thought it not important and 17% were unable to give an opinion. There were again no differences between the opinions of the sexes.

5.2 4 The Cinema

Judged by the proportion who attended it the cinema was by far the most important leisure activity of the unmarried adult. 77% of the unmarried adults visited the cinema; this was 81% of all women and 69% of all men.

3% of the unmarried adults went to a cinema every day, 53% two or three times a week, 32% once a week and 11% went only occasionally. There was no difference at all in the frequency of visits to the cinema of the two sexes.

40% of the unmarried adults went to a cinema within 600 yards of their home, 22% between 600 and 1100 yards, 18% 1100 yards to 1¼ miles and 12% went further than this.

86% considered that the cinema was conveniently near to their home, 9% considered that it was not. 49% thought it was very important to have the cinema near to their home, 20% somewhat important and 23% not important. There were differences between opinion of the sexes in these analyses.

There was little difference between the opinions of persons living in towns of different sizes. Zone, however, had some effect on cinema going. 80% of those living in the outer zone went to a cinema, 81% of those living in the middle zone, but only 72% of those living in the inner zone of large cities. There were no important differences in the frequency of their visits.

Age was a factor of some importance in affecting both the proportion of unmarried adults visiting the cinema and the frequency of their visits; for example, 18% of the 13 - 18 year old group seldom or never went to the cinema, compared with 16% of the 19 - 35 group, 40% of the 36 - 50 group and 66% of those above that age. The proportion who visited the cinema once a week or more was similarly very much higher in the two younger age groups.

This greater interest in the cinema reflected itself also in the proportions, who thought that it was very important to have the cinema near their home; these were 54% of the youngest group compared with 46% of the middle group and 45% of the 36 - 50 age group.

5.2 5 Indoor Social Activities

This group of social activities were mainly dancing, with some table tennis, whist drives etc. They affected 29% of the sample - 31% of the women and 26% of the men.

35% of those who visited a place of indoor social activity went two or three times a week or more, 36% once a week and 27% occasionally.

The centres to which they went were more widely scattered than those of many other social activities. 21% were within 600 yards, 20% 600 to 1100 yards, 25%, 1100 yards to l¼ miles and 28% still further. This wider range of distances is reflected in the answers to the questions about convenience. 78% considered their house was convenient to the centre of indoor social activity, 18% that it was not convenient, 48% thought it very important to have this interest near their home, 18% somewhat important and 24% considered it not important.

5.2 6 Church and Church Social Activities

Church and Church Social Activities were attended by 21% of the sample. This was made up of 14% of the men in the sample and 25% of the women.

Of those who attended 10% went two or three times a week or more, 65%.once a week and 25% occasionally.

Most of the churches or church centres visited were within easy reach of the home, 51% having journeys of less than 600 yards, 22% from 600 to 1100 yards and 20% having journeys further than this.

83% of the unmarried adults considered their home convenient to the centre of this activity, 11% that it was not 44% considered it very important to have their home near a church or church social activity, somewhat important and 21% considered it not important. It must be remembered that these proportions refer only to those who visit this centre.

Analysis by towns of various sizes showed small differences suggesting that these interests were less important to unmarried adults living in small towns and to those living in the outer zones of large towns.