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Dramatic change in the way public sector workers are appreciated in Cardiff

Published:
Read Time: 3 mins

From 68 days since they were last thanked to just 4 – and nurses no longer seen as least-appreciated profession

A remarkable turnaround in the way people in Cardiff feel about public sector workers has been underlined by a survey – which says appreciation has increased 94 per cent in the space of a year.

Just 12 months ago a survey by public sector membership club Boundless asked public sector workers in Cardiff when they were last thanked for the doing their job.

It was commissioned in the build-up to UN Public Service Day, which falls on 23 June, and shockingly revealed that the average key worker in the region had gone 68 days without a ‘thank you’.

Now the same survey has been repeated ahead of this year’s Public Service Day – and the figure has dropped to only 4 days.

That places Cardiff in the top three for the cities where public sector workers are most appreciated in the UK – with only Edinburgh and Brighton faring better.

The same survey also revealed:

  • 44 per cent of public sector workers in Cardiff feel appreciated by the public – last year it was 33 per cent.
  • Nurses are no longer seen by Cardiff workers as the most under-appreciated profession – that title goes to refuse collectors.
  • Care workers were second on the list with nurses third and bus drivers, who were placed 8th last year, were up to fourth.
  • 77 per cent of NHS workers across the country say they feel appreciated by the public – it was only 48 per cent last year.

Now the people of Cardiff are being encouraged to continue their appreciation for key workers by supporting Public Service Day.

The day, officially launched by the United Nations as long ago as 2003, has barely been recognised in the UK so far.

However, Boundless, which was founded in 1923, wants to change things.

It aims to bring the UK together to celebrate the contribution made to society by millions of public service workers, from nurses to teachers, firefighters to administrators and police officers to care workers.

Darren Milton at Boundless said: “This year Public Service Day falls on Tuesday 23 June and it’s a wonderful opportunity for people in Cardiff to remind their public service workers that we won’t forget what they have done for us. Not least during the last few months.

“The figures coming back from our survey are hugely encouraging because they show that millions of people have been saying ‘thank you,’ and doing so far more often than a year ago.

“In Cardiff it’s especially exciting to see how often public sectors are thanked with some of the best figures in the UK.

“But we don’t want the appreciation to stop when the pandemic is over. The next step is to back Public Service Day and to think about ways that we can value our public sector workers long into the future.”

The 10 most under-appreciated professions according to people in Cardiff in 2020 are:

1 Refuse collectors 49% (last year 2nd)

2 Care workers 30% (last year 4th)

3 Nurse 28% (last year 1st with 47%)

4 Bus drivers 26% (last year 8th with only 12%)

5 Teachers 19% (last year 3rd)

6 Police 19% (last year 5th)

7 HMRC 15% (last year 11th)

8 Doctors 13% (last year 7th)

9 Probation workers 10% (last year 12th)

10 Civil service 10% (last year 9th)

The cities where public sector workers are thanked most often

1 Edinburgh: 2.5 days since workers were last thanked

2 Brighton 3.5

3 Cardiff 4

4 Nottingham 4

5 Belfast 5

5 Manchester 5

7 Southampton 5.5

8 Liverpool 6

8 London 6

8 Newcastle 6

For more information, please visit www.boundless.co.uk/publicserviceday2020

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Methodology

2020 survey:

Fieldwork: Markettiers

Sample: 2,003 UK workers

Survey period: May 2020

2019 survey:

Fieldwork: Censuswide

Sample: 2,004 UK workers

Survey period: June 2019

For further information, please contact:

Flo Powell or Carissa Christy

Midnight Communications

Tel: 01273 666 200

Email: Boundless@midnight.co.uk   

About Boundless

Boundless is a membership club for civil service and public sector workers who are looking for inspiration on getting the most out of their free time. With a heritage and expertise dating back more than 95 years, Boundless offers its 230,000 members deals on hundreds of unique experiences, events, volunteer activities and things to do. It’s also mutual, so all profits go straight back into the club to benefit members.

www.boundless.co.uk

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Editors notes

Boundless is a membership club for civil service and public sector workers who are looking for inspiration on getting the most out of their free time. With a heritage and expertise dating back more than 90 years, Boundless offers its 230,000 members deals on hundreds of unique experiences, events, volunteer activities and things to do. It’s also mutual, so all profits go straight back into the club to benefit members.

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