The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation recently released findings from its Soul of the Community study, a Gallup Poll of the residents of 26 communities across the United States, including the Twin Cities and Duluth.
The study was undertaken to enable communities to have a clearer understanding of what citizens value, and to help identify gaps for improvements. It’s hoped that leaders will be able to use this data to improve communities and attract and retain productive and innovative citizens.
The polling of Twin Cities community members revealed that, overall:
- 29% ranked themselves as “highly loyal” and “connected” to the community.
- 43% described themselves as neutral. They “lack full loyalty and passion, but see some positive aspects of the community.”
- 28% identified as unattached to the community.
It’s interesting to note that although only 29% described themselves as “highly loyal,” this is still higher than the 26-community average.
Other notable tidbits from the poll include:
- Although 9 in 10 say that the Twin Cities is a tough place to find a job right now, the state of the economy was not rated as a highly important factor in determining attachment to the area.
- Factors rated highly included the quality of the local green spaces, which 50% rated well, and the education system, which was also highly regarded.
- Crime and violence was identified as the most important problem facing the area.
There were also marked differences among demographic groups who took the poll. Generally speaking, highly educated individuals, those over 55, and suburbanites rated the metro area more favorably. In contrast, rural dwellers, unemployed participants, and young, talented college graduates gave the area poorer marks.
Perhaps notable for the last group is the overall feeling that the quality of the area’s nightlife has declined since the same survey was taken the year before.
It will be interesting to see if and how civic leaders use this data to try to improve the sense of affiliation that Twin Cities’ residents have for the community.
Join the Conversation:
- What findings from the poll, which you can view in its entirety on the Soul of the Community website, do you find most notable?
- Do you have any recommendations for improving the sense of emotional connectedness that citizens feel towards the community?
- Do you feel that studies like this that attempt to quantify “warm-fuzzies” are reliable in determining human behavior? Or do you feel more objective measures like economic growth are better predictors?
-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF web communications associate
