Gallup poll: Des Moines No. 1 in ‘community pride’

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Residents of Greater Des Moines are the most likely to say they are proud of their community, according to a new Gallup poll.

 

Of the 100 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas that Gallup and Healthways surveyed in 2014, more than three-quarters of residents in the Des Moines area agree with the statement that they are proud of the community or area where they live. Greenville, S.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Provo, Utah; and Raleigh, N.C., round out the top five metro areas with the most community pride.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, residents of Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., are the least likely to express hometown pride, with just half agreeing. Youngstown, Ohio; Stockton, Calif.; Fresno, Calif.; and Toledo, Ohio, complete the five metro areas with the least pride.

 

The findings are based on interviews collected throughout 2014 as part of theGallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Americans were asked to use a five-point scale — where 5 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree — to rate their level of agreement with the following statement: “You are proud of your community or the area where you live.” Nationally, 63.5 percent of Americans responded with a 4 or 5 rating.

 

Pride in a local community is related to a wide variety of factors, including how safe and secure residents feel in their city. Nationally, 91.3 percent of Americans who reported feeling safe and secure also reported being proud of their community, while just 2 percent of those who reported they did not feel safe and secure were proud of their community.