(i) Introduction

A general sample of the adult civilian population, consisting of 2894 individuals, was interviewed. Informants were selected in representative proportions in different regions and from different occupational groups. (For details of the sample see end of report.)

The purposes of the inquiry were to find out to what extent various sorts of mending services were used by the public; whether and to what extent people were experiencing difficulties in getting articles mended, and what these difficulties were. The repairs considered were those done outside the home, except when it is stated that the questions refer to home repairs.

Questions were asked concerning repairs to clothing, boots and shoes, bicycles, watches and clocks and wireless sets.

In the case of watches and clocks, and bicycles, an attempt was made to assess the inconvenience caused by insufficiency of repairing services; and in the case of clothes and shoes, the extent to which the problem was affected by clothes rationing.

In questions concerning difficulties and inconveniences, the judgment as to whether or not difficulties and inconvenience were experienced was made by the informant and not by the investigator. The number of shops, etc. visited and the time taken to get repairs done, were not asked.

The information given as to whether or not mending services were used, and what difficulties were encountered, refers in all cases to the actions of the informant. Interviewers were instructed not to include cases of relatives or friends trying to get articles mended for the informant, but when the informant had tried to get something mended for another person, this was included. These provisions were made in order to avoid duplication and to ensure that the proportions found using mending services etc. were true proportions.

In the case of all articles the period considered was the previous three months. In considering the results, therefore, allowance should be made for errors of memory.

Summary

Clothing 12.9% had tried to get repairs done 2.4% had difficulty 2.3% failed to

Boots and shoes 75.3% had tried to get repairs done 21.4% had difficulty 1.8% failed to

Bicycles 9.1% had tried to get repairs done 2.4% had difficulty 1.5% failed to

Watches & clocks 33.3% had tried to get repairs done 8.2% had difficulty 18.9% failed to

Wireless Sets 13.0% had tried to get repairs done 3.0% had difficulty 4.7% failed to

In most cases the difficulties mentioned were delay in getting the work done and the refusal of retailers to accept work.

More mending of clothing was being done at home than before the war.

Some boot and shoe repairs were being done at home.

About two thirds of those having difficulty and unable to get bicycles repaired experienced inconvenience as bicycles were used for travelling to work.

About half of those having difficulty and unable to get watches and clocks repaired experienced inconvenience.

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(ii) Clothing

(a) Mending Services

Question: “Have you tried to get any clothes mended or altered in the last three months? Did you have any difficulty?”

Breakdowns of these results into urban and rural districts, into five regional groups and by sex groups, show no statistically significant differences.

There are, however, some differences between different income groups:-

A higher proportion in the upper income groups had used mending services.

A similar difference between income groups was found in a previous inquiry into clothes mending services in which only housewives were interviewed. (Wartime Social Survey, New Series Regional S.3.).

Informants who had experienced difficulty and who had been unable to get clothes mended or altered were asked: “What was the difficulty?”.

The percentages given above add up to more than 100 because a few informants mentioned more than one sort of difficulty.

Those who had had clothes mended or altered were asked what sort of service was used –

A few informants had used more than one sort of service for different garments, and percentages add to more than 100.

Informants were asked: “If it had not been for clothes rationing, would you have bought a new garment, or would you have had it mended in any case?”

Thus, according to informants' answers, about half the garments that were mended or altered would have been discarded if it had not been for coupons, and new garments would have been bought instead. The demand for clothes mending services, therefore, may be considered as twice as great as before clothes rationing.

It should be remembered, however, that the question asked demands that the informant imagines a situation in which clothes rationing does not influence him, and it is possible that results obtained in this way may not be reliable. This question was put at the request of the Board of Trade. For the reason given above, the results may be doubtful, although the Survey has no information which is contradictory.

(b) Mending done at home

Question : “Is more or less mending done at home since clothes rationing?”

Analyses by urban and rural districts and by income groups show no statistically significant differences.

A comparison of results in different regions in England shows no differences, but Scotland shows a higher proportion answering “the same” and a lower proportion answering “more”.

Breakdown by sex is as follows:-

When informants said that more or less mending was done at home, they were asked the reason for this. Percentages in the table below add up to more than 100, as some gave more than one reason.

The number who answered “less” is not large enough for a table showing reasons to be given.

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(iii) Boots and Shoes

(a) Mending Services

Question: “Have you tried to get any boots and shoes mended in the last three months? Did you have any difficulty?”

Breakdown by urban and rural districts is as follows:-

A rather higher proportion had had difficulty in urban than in rural districts.

Breakdown by region shows a rather higher proportion, 30% in the North of England having difficulty, and a rather lower proportion, 12% in Scotland. Otherwise no statistically significant differences are found.

Rather more women than men had tried to get shoes mended.

Breakdown by income groups shows no statistically significant differences.

Informants who had had difficulty in getting boots and shoes mended were asked what the difficulty was. 89% complained of delay, and other complaints were miscellaneous. 3% said that shoe-repairers had refused to take the work, and complained that the work had been done badly or that poor quality materials had been used.

Those who had had boots or shoes mended were asked: “Would you have bought new boots or shoes if it had not been for clothes rationing, or would you have had them mended in any case?”

The same criticism applies to this question as to the similar question about clothing.

Breakdown by sex here shows no statistically significant differences.

(b) Mending done at home

Question: Do you do your own boot and shoe repairs, or does anyone at home do them for you?”

It should be noted that informants were not asked to specify the types of repairs done. Sticking on ready-made rubber soles or heel pieces could be classed as repairs.

Analyses by urban and rural districts and by region show no statistically significant differences, except in the case of Scotland, here only 9.3% said that their shoes were repaired at home. It will be remembered that a rather lower proportion had difficulty in getting shoes repaired outside the home in Scotland than in other regions. These results suggest that Scotland is better provided with shoe-repairing services than other regions.

Breakdown by income groups is as follows:-

There are some differences in answers received from men and women:-

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(iv) BICYCLES

Question: “Have you tried to get a bicycle mended during the last three months. Did you have any difficulty?”

Interviewers were instructed to record only cases where the informant had taken a bicycle to be repaired at a shop or other place. Cases of informants trying to buy spare parts in order to do repairs themselves were not included.

A slightly higher proportion had tried to got bicycles repaired in rural than in urban districts:-

Analysis by region is as follows:-

It should be noted that the majority of rural interviewers were carried out in the South, S.W. and E. Anglia.

Breakdowns by income group and by sex show only very small differences.

Informants who had experienced difficulty were asked what the difficulty was.

They were then asked: “Did this cause you any inconvenience? What?”. Replies were as follows:-

It should be noted that the 113 people asked this question represent only 3.9% of the sample, and those experiencing inconvenience 1.9%

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(v) Watches and Clocks

Question : “Have you tried to get a watch or clock mended during the last three months? Did you have any difficulty?”.

No statistically significant differences are shown in an analysis by urban and rural areas.

Breakdown by regions shows 79.3% not trying in Scotland and 9.8% unable to get watches or clocks repaired; and 73.7% not trying in London. Other differences were slight.

Results differ somewhat as between income groups:-

Breakdown by sex shows no statistically significant differences.

In answer to the question “What was the difficulty?”, replies were as follows:-

(Some gave more than one reply).

Informants who had had difficulty were asked:“Did this cause you any inconvenience? ”:-

Those having difficulty in getting watches or clocks mended represent 27.1% and those who were inconvenienced 14.1% of the whole sample.

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(vi) Wireless

Question : “Have you tried to get a wireless repaired during the last three months? Did you have any difficulty?”

It should be noted that this question was asked of all informants, irrespective of whether or not there was a wireless set in their homes, and the proportion trying to get sets repaired is a proportion of the population, and not of owners of wireless sets.

Breakdowns made by urban and rural areas, region, income groups and sex show no statistically significant differences.

Those who had had difficulty were asked what the difficulty was

(vii) The Sample

Total: 2894

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THE QUESTIONNAIRE

WARTIME SOCIAL SURVEY New Series Regional G.3

Interviewer

Town

Date