“If you sometimes stop and wonder why you donate to your local school’s annual fundraiser, help plant trees on your town’s main drag or offer free hot cocoa at every street fair, the answer is because you’re either very generous or you know what’s good for your local economy.
“New research suggests when people ‘love’ the culture of their towns, economic prosperity follows. In a three-year Gallup survey of 26 U.S. cities, researchers learned the communities with highest levels of resident attachment — a person’s passion for where he or she lives — also had the “highest rates of GDP growth over time.
“The ‘Knight Soul of the Community’ survey explored the connection between local economic growth and residents’ emotional bond to a place. Results clearly show a significant, positive link between resident attachment and local GDP growth…”
- Excerpts from CSMonitor.com