This paper explores associations between local socioeconomic context and perceptions of neighbourhood quality of life, using a multilevel modelling approach to analyse data from the 2002/03 Survey of English Housing. A range of individual, property and area variables is successively introduced, the aim being to determine which of these has the greatest influence on the probability of being dissatisfied with one's neighbourhood. Several variables relating to property type and characteristics were derived and a set of ecological independent variables was used that is different from those deployed in previous analyses. Using a multilevel approach, the analysis determines the spatial scale at which variance is most concentrated—namely, the primary sampling unit (PSU). The relationship between tenure and property type is broken down and it is shown that social renting per se is not necessarily associated with greater dissatisfaction, although there is an association between private renting and greater satisfaction, probably reflecting the age and social profile of private renters. In respect of ecological indicators, increased levels of deprivation were associated with a raised probability of expressing neighbourhood satisfaction, as was settlement size, which is consistent with earlier work on quality of life. Conclusions are drawn concerning the use of studies of this kind to monitor trends in neighbourhood satisfaction.

Recent debates have suggested that increasing social diversity within Western economies is associated with adverse social consequences such as loss of community and decline of civic society, including an erosion of collective efficacy (ie shared expectations of and mutual engagement by residents in social control). In the UK and US, these debates have been given impetus by concerns about the effects of growing ethnic heterogeneity on community life. Here there is an assumption that heterogeneity undermines social cohesion and makes the established population less willing to share resources, trust fellow citizens, so that it eventually ‘hunkers down’ and withdraws from collective life. To date there are few studies that have examined this in detail across England at the small-area level. The research presented here explores this terrain by exploiting information from the British Crime Survey on two recognised dimensions of collective efficacy: namely, social cohesion and trust, and informal social control. Multivariate, multilevel models were used to determine the importance of individual and area characteristics in the possible explanation of these outcomes, and particular attention was paid to the relative importance of neighbourhood disadvantage over and above neighbourhood diversity. Results suggest that both diversity and disadvantage are statistically associated with reduced levels of social cohesion and trust, and informal social control, but greater substantive importance is attached to neighbourhood disadvantage.

An increasing number of countries across the world are planning for the eradication of the tobacco epidemic. The actions necessary to realise this ambition have been termed the tobacco endgame. The focus of this paper is on the intersection between the tobacco endgame with place, a neglected theme in recent academic and policy debates. We begin with an overview of the key themes in the literature on endgame strategies before detailing the international landscape of engame initiatives, paying particular attention to the opportunities and challenges of endgame strategies in low and middle income countries. Finally, we critically assess the current endgame debates and suggest a novel agenda for integrating geographical perspectives into research on the endgame that provides enhanced understanding of the challenges associated with this important global health vision.