Although the national economy is still in the tank, that’s not coloring how residents of the Twin Cities and 25 other U.S. cities feel about their communities.
A Gallup study released today called “Soul of the Community” found that the worst economic crisis in decades isn’t a major factor in attracting and retaining residents to their communities.
“We expected the economy would cause significant changes to which factors most drive residents’ emotional attachment to their community,” said Marc Fest, vice president of communications for the Knight Foundation, financial supporter of the Gallup survey. “Instead, we found the current economic downturn has almost no short-term impact on what makes people fall in love with where they live.”
In an e-mail, Fest added, “We found a strong connection between the amount of people’s loyalty and passion for where they live, and the community’s long-term GDP (gross domestic product) growth.”
Posts in ‘St Paul’
Gallup: Local perception of Twin Cities remains high in bad times - Finance-Commerce.com
Strong cities don't just happen - PioneerPress.com
Minnesota is a place where people and businesses tend to give generously to charities, foundations and non-profit organizations. A new report suggests that those doling out grants should pay more attention to advocacy and community organizing as a way of getting more return on the philanthropic dollar.
At the same time a survey of the Twin Cities metro area finds understandable concern about jobs and the economy, and an equally strong attachment to the region's green spaces and higher-education offerings. ...
The second report is an opinion survey by Gallup for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Soul of the Community Study. It focuses on what people like and are concerned about in their hometowns, and tries to see how great a percentage of residents are strongly attached to where they live.
As we read it, people are somewhat conflicted.
Thoughts on the findings in Saint Paul
Polly Talen is Knight’s program director for Saint Paul.
While Knight Foundation does most of its local work in Saint Paul and the East Metro, it is important to note that the survey covers residents in the 12-county Twin Cites metro area. That means we can use this data to make comparisons with some other large urban areas in the study - like St. Jose or Charlotte - but it won't help us make comparisons between Minneapolis and St. Paul or between the urban core and the surrounding suburbs.
We can make some comparisons between last year and this year's data, but I think it is even more interesting to compare what the data says with what you or I thought it would say and what we hope it will say in the future. Two of the key drivers of community attachment in the Twin Cities and most of the other communities studied were perceptions about both aesthetics and how welcoming the community seems to various demographic groups. These factors are certainly why I moved here 25+ years ago and they are key reasons I am still here.
It was my sense that the Twin Cities seemed open to newcomers in a way that Boston did not. I had gone to college in Boston and in my summer jobs and internships I felt like I needed to have come over on the Mayflower or at least be the chief elevator operator's sister-in-law to feel like I could fully participate in the community. I was an outsider. Yet in the Twin Cities it felt like anyone could get a start here. With its legendary commitment of corporations and government institutions to the community it seemed the perfect place for someone fresh out of business school to get their start in the community and in a career. And other than missing the ocean (which I still do miss) the area's lakes, bikeways, and parks were well-preserved for the enjoyment of all. It was a community where residents cared about one another and that appeared to be committed to all its citizens.
We are still striving to be that community, but I think we have lost some ground. Interestingly the greatest drop from last year was the perception of how welcoming the community is to young college graduates. This might be a one-year anomaly given the economy and fewer new jobs - we will have to keep an eye on that in next year's study. Of even greater concern to me is how open and welcoming we are as a community to racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants. Do folks in those communities feel you can be full participants in community decision-making, in our educational systems, in health care, in the workforce? Our economic vitality as a community depends on it.
Twin Citians' love for hometown is above average, survey finds - TwinCities.com
Nine out of 10 residents think it's a bad time to get a job in the Twin Cities, and crime and violence are viewed as the area's most pressing problem.
But it's not a good economy or safe streets that are the top factors in determining how emotionally attached metro-area residents are to the Twin Cities.
It's the area's beauty and green spaces, its education system, how welcome and open the community is to different types of people, and its entertainment venues and places to meet.
Those are the findings released Monday by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Soul of the Community study on what makes people glad to be living in their home towns.
