Laindon, South Essex

Area Profile

Laindon is a small town in the heart of south Essex. It is loacted in the ditrict of Basildon which is a major
player in the Thames Gateway region, a
priority area for regeneration, and is
recognised as the business and economic
hub of South Essex.
The district offers a broad range of sports and leisure activities, which include the FestivalLeisure Park, the par-72 golf course at Kingswood and the country parks in Laindon ,Billericay, Langdon Hills and Wickford. Some 70% of the District is rural.
Laindon is described as type 44 in the ACORN classification and 3.04% of the UK’s population live in this type. The Black Country and South Yorkshire are the main places for these communities, although they generally crop up in most urban areas. Towns such as Doncaster, Barnsley, Wrexham, and Ballymoney are typical.

Households in Laindon tend to be low income larger families living in semis.

Population in Basildon
20% of the population in Basildon is made up of children (under the age of 16). The highest population group are adults between 30 and 39. Typical

Basildon is the largest District in the Eastern region with a population of 165,668. Laindon is one of the smaller towns of Basildon and hold a population of 11,026.

Ethnic minority groups account for 3.1% of the population.

Laindon sits in the following category: 5 (Struggling Families)

Characteristics of the Area:

• Family income - Low


• Internet in current affairs - Low


• Housing - with mortgage - Medium


• Educated - to degree - Very low


• Couples with children - Medium


• Have satellite TV - Medium


• Incomes are well below average with nearly a third of families earning less than £10,000.


• Unemployment is higher than average.



• Work is typically routine, in a factory or some other manual occupation. Jobs reflect the general lack of educational qualifications. Households tend to be families with a number of school age children. Over 10% are single parent families. Home to these families will often be a three bedroom semi-detached property rented from the local council or housing association.

Above are the descriptions provided by ACORN of Laindon. It is understandable that as a number of residents have either skilled or manual jobs, they do not earn high salaries. This is reflected in the quality of life and the standard of living.

Area Interests:

• The lottery, football pools and bingo may offer the hope of wealth. Since money is tight, the payment facilities offered by catalogue shopping are an attraction in these areas.



• People with a car will own a low value second hand vehicle.

Area Shopping/Leisure Habits:

• Shopping may be done in Morrisons or Kwik Save, and holidays may well be to a caravan park or a camp site.


• Few leisure activities seem affordable.


• Angling is popular


• The newspaper read is generally a tabloid.


• People spend time listening to music or watching television.

source:www.upmystreet.com

Deprivation

The area is described as a deprived area in the UK with education, crime and employment being the most deprived areas. Living environment is the area that scored best, which I can agree with as the area itself is very green and has a lot of greenbelt and parks in the area.




source: communities and local government, ONS

Personal Analysis
Laindon is currently undergoing a significant amount of regeneration including a number of housing developments as well as new businesses (mainly new car dealerships/show rooms attracting the area. The £10million redevelopment project of Laindon Town Centre has recently been successful and work will be starting this summer, which will bring in new facilities and shops into the area. Having just moved into the area myself, I agree that the homes are mainly council homes however, it is very difficult to relate to the rest of the descriptions provided by ACORN as the new estate I live on and other neighbouring estates, resemble nothing of the kind. A number of residents moved in to the new estates are young professionals and couples with young children. They all have satellite, two cars and one would suspect a good standard of education and hold professional jobs. I personally do not shop at Kwik Save or Morrisons nor do I read tabloids and share an interest in angling. I can say that the residents living on the newer estates also do not share these descriptions. I prefer to read the Guardian online and the Metro when travelling on the tubes.

more analysis required.....

VALS Survey Results



Achiever/InnovatorYour primary VALS type is Achiever, and your secondary type is Innovator.The primary VALS type represents your dominant approach to life. The secondary classification represents a particular emphasis you give to your dominant approach.Want to learn more about VALS™?Get our Understanding U.S. Consumers handbook.

InnovatorsInnovators are successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem. Because they have such abundant resources, they exhibit all three primary motivations in varying degrees. They are change leaders and are the most receptive to new ideas and technologies. Innovators are very active consumers, and their purchases reflect cultivated tastes for upscale, niche products and services.Image is important to Innovators, not as evidence of status or power but as an expression of their taste, independence, and personality. Innovators are among the established and emerging leaders in business and government, yet they continue to seek challenges. Their lives are characterized by variety. Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life.

Motivated by the desire for achievement, Achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family. Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured around family, their place of worship, and work. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. They value consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy, and self-discovery.With many wants and needs, Achievers are active in the consumer marketplace. Image is important to Achievers; they favor established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. Because of their busy lives, they are often interested in a variety of time-saving devices.

Personality Traits - Your Unconscious Mind Is Most Driven by Curiosity.
You are full of questions about life, people, and your own potential. You spend more time than others imagining the possibilities for your life – and you're open to things others are too afraid to consider. You have an almost physical need to know and do more. It's only through new experiences that you feel a greater understanding of yourself and the world. You also have a rebellious streak that shows up when you feel unable to truly influence the world or circumstances around you. Your appetite for novel experiences also shows an openness others don't have, but wish they did.

source: www......

About Me:

Age: 28

Marital status: married with no kids

Location: Recently brought a house in Laindon

Work: In Redbridge

Travel: By car - 40 minute drive each way

Travel to university via - foot and tube

Week day evenings are spent cooking, watching TV and reading

Weekends are spent shopping in Sainsburys/Asda, catching up with the family, eating out, going to the cinema when I get a chance. I also enjoy cooking, reading trashy magazines, watching TV and studying where possible..