Accelerating Community Engagement with Behavioural Data

As a community engagement manager, you understand the importance of leveraging data to make informed decisions.

However, one of the biggest challenges with existing options for urban data that capture the ‘human’ side of cities is it’s skewed by bias.

City makers usually lack other options, so we often rely on soliciting feedback or input from citizens when seeking to understand their lives. Citizen input is an essential part of our democratic systems. Still, this information is often classified as actual ‘data’ and used to make policy and capital works decisions that shape people’s lives.

This isn’t good enough anymore.

Early in Australia’s Covid lockdown, office workers expressed a desire to return to work in city CBDs, hoping to distance themselves from their lockdown environments and homeschooling – to return to a sense of “normalcy.” But as Covid-life continued, our lifestyles shifted, and gradually as we returned to “a new normal” new behavioural patterns emerged, one where our CBDs play a very different role.

If we relied on opinion inputs to understand this change, we might be distracted by the sentimental views longing for things to get “back to normal.” Instead, examining the current day-to-day urban life emerging in our neighbourhoods is important.

Your data must now account for real human behaviour.

To truly understand a place, we must see what is really there and what is actually happening. Opinions cannot compete when measuring and quantifying real urban life in neighbourhoods.

A recent MIT Human Dynamics Lab study revealed that behavioural data is five times more accurate than demographic data in predicting behaviour. Neighbourlytics harnesses this power of behavioural big data to better understand customers and lifestyles. By tapping into this rich source of information, organisations can make informed decisions based on actual behaviour, not just assumptions.

In this blog post, we explore the power of behavioural data and how Neighbourlytics can provide a powerful toolkit that allows you to gather, analyse, and interpret community data like never before.

Uncover New Insights, Beyond Survey Questions:

Traditional surveys have limitations in capturing the full range of neighbourhood dynamics and lifestyle preferences. We often rely on self-reported data, which can be influenced by social desirability bias. Neighbourlytics goes beyond survey questions by analysing mobile phone location data and other sources to uncover insights that may not have been considered. This approach provides a more accurate picture of community behaviour and preferences.

Quickly Understand the Community Landscape:

Building trust among stakeholders is vital for successful community engagement. The Neighbourlytics Stakeholder Mapping Tool empowers teams to quickly identify key stakeholders and gain valuable insights into local values. By understanding various stakeholders’ priorities, expectations, and concerns, organisations can establish transparency, demonstrate active listening, and involve stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Achieve Stakeholder Diversity:

Managing diverse perspectives and conflicting interests is crucial in community engagement. The Neighbourlytics Stakeholder Mapping Tool helps identify and prioritise community stakeholders. The tool automates the process by leveraging advanced data analysis techniques, saving time and resources. It ensures that all relevant stakeholders are considered, leading to more inclusive decision-making processes.

Save Time, Effort, and Resources:

Community engagement processes require significant time, effort, and resources. The Neighbourlytics Stakeholder Mapping Tool streamlines the identification process, eliminating the need for extensive meetings and interactions. It provides comprehensive insights into community groups, businesses and services, allowing for direct communication and collaboration. Organisations can effectively balance community engagement with project deadlines and resource constraints by focusing resources where they are most relevant.

Enhance Activation Opportunities:

The Neighbourlytics Stakeholder Mapping Tool along with the Activity Trends Analysis presents opportunities for community activation. Organisations can identify areas with growth potential by analysing activity levels and trends. With the tool’s insights, they can collaborate with key stakeholders to create inclusive and vibrant environments that attract visitors and stimulate economic growth. This targeted approach maximises the impact of activation efforts.

The Neighbourlytics platform is a powerful resource for community engagement and activation initiatives.  

By leveraging behavioural data, you can make informed decisions, foster meaningful connections, and create inclusive communities.

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