A colleague shared this Soul of the Community Knight Foundation/Gallup Poll research with me. It has fantastic findings for arts and culture advocates. My two favorites are
After interviewing close to 28,000 people in 26 communities over two years, the study has found that three main qualities bind people to place: social offerings such as entertainment venues and places to meet – the top factor in 21 of 26 communities, openness (how welcoming a place is) and the area’s aesthetics (its physical beauty and green spaces).
Access to quality education – whether at the elementary, secondary or college level – was also an important factor.
and
The study also looked at the relationship between how passionate and loyal people are to their communities and local economic growth. Researchers did find a significant relationship between the two. For example, from 2002-06, the most attached communities had the highest local GDP growth.
I love the idea that economic vitality is connected to how strongly people feel attached to their community. And the number one factor in giving them a strong connection to their community is having places to meet and socialize. The arts are absolutely part of the solution for economic growth and this data makes new correlation. Let’s use it!