From Linda Goldston, The San Jose Mercury News on Nov. 16, 2010: 

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The goal of the Knight Foundation-funded "Soul of the Community" study was to explore how residents' emotional bond to their city influences economic growth and vitality. The more attached they are, the more likely the local economy is strong and growing, according to the survey results.

"This is a survey about perceptions," said Judith Kleinberg, the Knight Foundation's program director for San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Social offerings (night life, availability of social community events), openness (how welcoming the city is to different types of people) and natural beauty mattered more to residents in San Jose and the other cities, for instance, than how they perceive the economy, jobs and basic services. The findings have remained fairly consistent for each year of the study.

In the same way it's been shown that keeping employees happy has a positive effect on a company's bottom line and productivity, Knight and Gallup analysts believe the survey findings will enable city leaders to apply the same principles to residents.

If residents are more attached, they will spend more time and money in their hometown -- and be more inclined to recommend it to others -- the analysts said.

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More at MercuryNews.com: 

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16618091?nclick_check=1