The Challenge
Heathrow wanted to understand the issues of most importance to the local community’s quality of life. This would inform Heathrow’s strategic approach, help prioritise potential actions the airport could take, and – in the longer term – test the impact of these actions.
Heathrow wanted to use the Airport Cooperative Research Program’s methodology to do this, and this project also sought to test the feasibility of this approach.
Our approach
First, Savanta and Heathrow worked collaboratively to identify the key indicators to test, and external data sources to draw in.
Savanta then conducted an online and telephone survey of more than 2,500 Heathrow local residents – divided into three tiers based on proximity to the airport, to identify impact on different local groups.
A telephone approach was used for ultra-local residents specifically, allowing us to achieve a strong sample size across a small geographical area.
The outcome
The results provided Heathrow with a comprehensive understanding of quality of life, and its drivers, among its local communities.
Crucially, this included identifying drivers that relate to the airport and its initiatives, and opportunities where Heathrow could intervene to help improve quality of life for local residents.
The research is currently being used by Heathrow to inform its local community initiatives, and will be tracked in future to assess impact.
