Soul of the Community (SOTC) is a three-year study conducted by Gallup of the 26 John S. and James L. Knight Foundation communities across the United States employing a fresh approach to determine the factors that attach residents to their communities and the role of community attachment in an area’s economic growth and well-being. The study focuses on the emotional side of the connection between residents and their communities.
In its first year, the study compared residents’ attachment level to the GDP growth in the 26 communities over the past five years. The findings showed a significant correlation between community attachment and economic growth. The second year reinforced these findings, and found that nationwide economic troubles did not have a notable impact on attachment locally. In the final year of the study, researchers will analyze the connection between community attachment and economic growth, exploring whether attachment drives growth or vice-versa.
The results of the SOTC study identify new approaches to help create transformation and new possibilities for continued progress in Knight communities. Community leaders can use the study’s findings to maximize community strengths and address challenge areas to improve community attachment and increase economic growth. The relationship of community attachment to economic development has particular relevance beyond the current economic crisis as the study’s findings can help leaders make long-term and strategic choices about investing in areas that have the greatest impact on engaging the community.
Gallup interviewed a random, representative sample of 400 adults (age 18+) in each of the 26 Knight communities – nearly 14,000 people each year. The surveys were conducted in English and Spanish. Data were weighted to reflect the known adult population by age, gender, race and ethnicity based on U.S. Census data. From the surveys, researchers identified 10 domains that were found to have varying levels of impact in driving community attachment:
- Basic services – infrastructure supports (highways, housing and healthcare)
- Economy
- Safety
- Leadership and elected officials
- Aesthetics – physical beauty and green spaces
- Education
- Social offerings – opportunities for social interaction and citizen caring
- Openness/welcomeness – how welcoming the community is to different people
- Civic involvement – residents’ commitment to their community through voting or voluntarism
- Social capital – social networks between residents
- Social offerings is the most important driver of community-citizen attachment overall. Aesthetics and openness/welcomeness to others also have major influence on community-citizen attachment.
Click here to learn more about the Soul of the Community report!
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