Desert Messenger

������ 4, 2010 ���.D�����M��������.��� Economy not key in residents’ love for where they live Gallup and Knight Foundation Study Explores What Makes People Emotionally Attached to Their Communities A Gallup study of 26 U.S. communi- ties has found that the worst economic crisis in decades is not a key factor in attracting and retaining residents. “While the pain from the recession is deep, other factors far outweigh eco- nomics when it comes to determining how emotionally attached people are to their communities,” said Warren Wright, managing partner for Gallup, which conducted the study with fund- ing from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In fact, a community’s social offer- ings (fun places to gather), its physi- cal beauty and its openness to new and different people are most important to making residents love where they live, the study found. “The findings are particularly impor- tant in a globalized economy, where cities are fighting for the talented workers they need for a vibrant work- force and economy,” said Paula Ellis, Knight Foundation’s vice president for strategic initiatives. “Local leaders, city officials and residents can use this information to better understand their community – and strengthen it to be a destination where people want to live, work and play.” While the current economic crisis doesn’t seem to make a difference in residents’ love for their community, the study found that positive feelings do have a connection to local GDP growth. The Soul of the Community survey was designed to explore this connection between economic growth and resi- dents’ emotional attachment to their community. The latest results, from year two of the three-year study, sug- gest a significant correlation between the two. ������������������� ���������������������������� ������������������������������� ��������������������� ������� ������ ���� TM ����������� ���������� ��������������������������������������������� ����������������� ��������������������������� �� ������������������������� �� ������������������������������������ �������������������������� �� �������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������� ���������������������������� �������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ����������� � �������������������������� ���������������������� Within a smaller microcosm, such as a company, Gallup has been able to show that increasing employees’ emotional connection to their company leads to improved financial performance of the organization. Researchers continue to explore if the emotional connection to the place where one lives drives eco- nomic growth for these communities in a similar way. Gallup’s previous work in U.S. communities and abroad shows that in fact emotional connec- tion does drive economic growth. In addition, the study also made sever- al conclusions that will interest leaders concerned with keeping top workers: • Openness to college graduates con- tinues to be a challenge for the com- munities studied, and an obstacle to stemming brain drain and keeping talented students in town after gradu- ation day; • New residents are the least attached of any demographic group to their community – and were even less at- tached in 2009, as compared to the previous year; • Residents who are more satisfied with their jobs are more likely to have an emotional connection to their com- munity. Knight Foundation is already funding projects with direct ties to the study’s recommendations. The communities surveyed vary in population size, economic levels and how urban or rural they are. Gallup randomly surveyed a representative sample of more than 10,000 adults from Feb. 17 to April 25, 2009, by phone. For complete survey findings, visit www.soulofthecommunity.org. Follow Soul of the Community on Twitter: #SOTC. For more on the Knight Foundation, visit www.knightfoundation.org. P��� 19 Everyone Welcome! Come and worship God in a Biblical manner with us at the Quartzsite Church of Christ. Located at 76 S. Emelia St. CELEBRATE OUR NEW LOCATION! (turn west just past Senior Center on Cowell, left on Emelia) Sunday Morning Worship Service, 10:00 a.m. Sunday Evening Group Bible Discussion, 6:00 p.m. Wed. Women’s Bible Study, 10:00 a.m. We are thrilled to have our own buildings and lot now, having met in the Senior Center for years! Now all we are missing is YOU! As the Holy Spirit directed it be written in the Bible in Romans 16:16... “The Churches of Christ salute you.” ��������������

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