Local ‘social offerings’ rank tops in poll
November 26, 2008
By Dave Hodges – Democrat Business Editor
A comprehensive study of what Tallahasseeans find most compelling about their community and why they are passionate about it could serve as a decision-making tool for local leaders.
The Gallup Poll “Soul of the Community” was commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and conducted in Tallahassee and 25 other Knight Foundation Communities. It measured residents’ engagement as indicated by the psychological connection they have to their community and the pride they have in it.
Gallup’s research has shown that communities with higher proportions of engaged citizens — those with high levels of passion and loyalty to their communities — had stronger gross domestic product growth and showed more population growth over the last five years.
Survey respondents who were asked about Tallahassee’s most important influences on citizen engagement ranked “social offerings” and “openness” the highest, but gave “education” and “aesthetics” higher marks in performance.
“That was one of the things that was so important to me in terms of the Knight Foundation,” Mike Pate, Knight Foundation program director for Tallahassee, said of social offerings, adding that the Knight Creative Communities Initiative is already working on building connections among residents through its financial support of the Tallahassee Film Festival, Sustainable Tallahassee and Get Gaines Going.
“We knew anecdotally that it was something we need to work on,” he said, and the survey demonstrated that as well.
Marc Fest, vice president of communications for the Knight Foundation, said the study findings are a gift that local leaders can rely on in their long-term decision making because the data show “what connects people to a place.” Often, it is more than the economic essentials of having a job and a place to live.
Jeanne Curtin, president of the Tallahassee Film Festival held last May, said she saw how that social offering affected those who participated.
“We had over 30 filmmakers come into town and the reception that those people received from the community could not have been better,” she added. Volunteers and attendees reflected all walks of life, from film enthusiasts to others who were just proud of their city.
Pate will be meeting with individuals and groups over the next several weeks to present the findings. Gallup and the Knight Foundation will conduct a follow-up study in spring 2009.
