Michigan's economy may have continued to tank the past 12 months, but metro Detroiters feel better about the region and more optimistic about the future than they did a year ago.
About 1,500 metro Detroiters interviewed by the Gallup polling organization as part of the second year of a three-year quality of life study gave the area improved marks for a variety of issues that drive resident attachment to a place, which is considered one indicator of economic growth.
The study -- which surveyed residents in the Detroit metropolitan statistical area of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Livingston and Lapeer counties -- cited three main factors that emotionally attach residents to the area: openness (how welcoming a place is), social offerings (fun places to gather) and aesthetics (physical beauty, including parks, playgrounds and green space).
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Metro Detroit may not be perfect, but more of us like where we live - Freep.com
Study reveals soul of Bradenton area community - MySunCoast.com
MANATEE COUNTY - A new study reveals Suncoast residents rank the area's physical beauty and social offerings as some of the top reasons they're attached to the community.
"Soul of the Community" is a three-year study that explores what qualities influence people's loyalty and passion for where they live.
19-year-old Hannah Crowe works at the Shake Pit in Bradenton. Her parents have owned the restaurant since 2001. She was born at Blake Hospital, lives on the island, and loves Bradenton. "Kinda of like a little country song, everybody knows everybody. You go to school from kindergarten on. I go to State College of Florida right now, and there's kids that I go to school with that I've gone to school with since kindergarten," says Crowe.
Charlotte has much to laud, and work on - CharlotteObserver.com
First, the good news. A new Gallup/Knight Foundation poll shows Charlotte area residents proud to live here and ready to recommend it to others. It shows residents enraptured by the area's beauty and openness to newcomers.
Still, trouble is evident: Most polled were pessimistic - 53 percent - about the area's outlook for the future. The bleak economy figures into that. Seventy-six percent said the economy is bad, and 68 percent said it is getting worse.
But there's also this: An astounding 70 percent give low marks to the quality of leadership in this community, and more than half don't see this as a place where "other people care about each other."
Poll finds newcomers like it best in NW Indiana - Post-Trib.com
Northwest Indiana's newest residents are among its happiest, says a poll of region dwellers released Tuesday.
A survey of 400 people in Lake, Porter, Jasper and Newton counties found region residents are among the least "attached" to their community among 26 metropolitan areas in the "Soul of the Community" study commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. But survey respondents who have lived in the region six years or fewer had a better opinion of Northwest Indiana, noted Knight Foundation consultant Katherine Loflin.
Community praised, panned in survey - JournalGazette.net
A bleak local economy topped Fort Wayne residents’ list of concerns this year, but unhappiness over high unemployment hasn’t necessarily translated to unhappiness with the community, a survey released Tuesday said.
More than 400 area dwellers surveyed this spring by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found plenty to love about the community and a little to dislike – including how the community treats recent college graduates.
Report: Macon residents not engaged with their community - Macon.com
CHICAGO — People like where they live for any number of reasons, but there are several stand-out qualities that ignite residents’ passion for their communities — and how the area is dealing with the recession isn’t one of them, according to a report released Tuesday by Gallup and the Knight Foundation.
Residents are most attached to their communities when they have fun places to gather, there’s a welcoming atmosphere and there are beautiful and green spaces to enjoy, according to the “Soul of the Community” survey. The study looked at 26 communities, including Macon, and surveyed a random sample of more than 10,000 people earlier this year.
How residents feel about Columbia area - TheState.com
What attaches Columbia-area residents to the community?
Apparently, it’s colleges, parks, affordable housing, quality health care, night life and openness of its people, according to a Gallup study released Tuesday.
But the region needs to improve perceptions of how it treats recent college grads and gays, according to the study funded by the Knight Foundation.
Gallup poll: Economy not key for Twin Ports residents - BusinessNorth.com
A Gallup study of the Duluth-Superior area and 25 other U.S. communities found that the economic crisis is not a key factor in residents’ loyalty for their community.
“While the pain from the recession is deep, other factors far outweigh economics when it comes to determining how emotionally attached people are to their communities,” said Warren Wright, managing partner for Gallup, which conducted the study with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The study pinpointed three key factors that bind residents to the region: social offerings (fun places to gather), openness (how welcoming a place is) and aesthetics (an area’s physical beauty and green spaces.)
Hard Times Don't Weaken Community Bonds - UPI.com
From United Press International:
A Gallup study of 26 U.S. communities released today has found that the worst economic crisis in decades is not a key factor in attracting and retaining residents.
"While the pain from the recession is deep, other factors far outweigh economics when it comes to determining how emotionally attached people are to their communities," said Warren Wright, managing partner for Gallup, which conducted the study with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
In fact, a community's social offerings, such as fun places to gather, its physical beauty and its openness to new and different people are the most important reasons residents love where they live, the study found.
We Love You, Miami! - NBCMiami.com
In Miami, love is all you need.
While we may not always speak fondly of our fair city, a new poll shows that Miamians are growing ever more attached to their town.
The Soul of the Community study, conducted by Gallup, showed that Miamians were more attached to their community, compared to other large cities.
The study surveyed 400 locals, who said that despite our lousy economy we're attached to the Magic City, for better and worse.
