The pie charts on this page represent the results of the online survey undertaken in 2010 by SceneThat of vistors to the website. A brief narrative at the end of the page contains our analysis of these results. [NB: t=430 ~ Results rounded to one decimal place for charts]
Participants were asked to select the statement with which they were MOST comfortable, even if they don't totally agree with it (or any of the statements).
These last four questions all related to participants' photography over the past year.
For the purposes of this survey, we mean the term "official or police officer" to include the following people:
- Police Officer (in uniform)
- Police Officer (who displayed a warrant card)
- PCSO (in uniform)
- Uniformed private security officer
- Uniformed council official
- Uniformed member of the Armed Forces on duty
For the puposes of this survey, we mean the term "member of the public" to include all other people.
Results: narrative (SceneThat comment)
Note: We have refrained from comment where the individual results speak for themselves(!)
- The figures here should be read simply as an analysis of the participants in this project and NOT be read as a definitive snapshot of the state of photography in the UK. However, we are confident that they reflect averages of typical visitors to SceneThat.co.uk over the course of a year.
- Visitors 'self-select' by virtue of the fact that they elect to come to the SceneThat website. Results are therefore expected to be slewed on the assumption that more visitors come to the site following an 'uncomfortable experience in the street'.
- The survey was taken during the run-up to the 2010 UK General Election.
- [Q4] The responses show a good general geographical spread across the UK, loaded towards London and the South East. No region-by-region analysis was undertaken on this occasion.
- [Q8] Over two thirds of respondees tend NOT to seek permission from their subjects before including them in their photographs.
- [Q9-12] The responses to these questions indicate that photographers are more likely to be subject to a hotile response from a member of public, than an official. There is still an exceptionally high number of occasions when Police feel it necessary to ask photographers to explain themselves. The number of reported occasions when Police Officers requested that the photographer delete images was, as expected, very small. Given that such action can normally only be justified when backed by a court order, this is both good and bad news - as even one occasion is one too many.
The results from this year primarily give us a baseline against which we can measure future developments. We caution that any emerging trends are more likely to paint a true picture of public and Police attitudes, rather than taking these results on their own.
