Nearly 70 percent of South Bend residents expressed optimism about the city's economic future, according to a recent random-sample survey conducted on behalf of the City of South Bend's effort to promote economic development.
According to the survey, 69.5 percent of residents said they were optimistic or hopeful about South Bend's economic future. In the survey, 26 percent said they were pessimistic or doubtful about the city's economic future.
The hopeful viewpoint was reinforced in open-ended responses to the question, "What is your opinion about South Bend's economic future?" Nearly 47 percent responded with clearly positive responses, compared with nearly 31 percent in 2009 at the height of the global economic crisis. Pessimistic responses in 2010 declined to nearly 35 percent, compared with more than 51 percent in 2009.
The survey results will be highlighted in a report to the South Bend Redevelopment Commission during its regular meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, April 9, in the County-City Building's 13th-floor conference room.
"These results are an encouraging sign that South Bend residents see hopeful opportunities on the horizon with the opening of Innovation Park at Notre Dame and the preparation for Ignition Park in the former Studebaker Corridor," said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. "It reflects greater awareness of our local economy's transition from manufacturing to more reliance on research and technological innovation."
The survey also showed that a majority of South Bend residents now are aware of the City's efforts to develop Ignition Park in the former Studebaker Corridor – a jump of 16 percentage points in one year.
According to the survey, 56.5 percent of residents are aware Ignition Park, compared with 40.5 percent in 2009. The increased awareness of Ignition Park exceeded increased awareness levels for both its sister campus, Innovation Park at Notre Dame and for MIND, the Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery, each of which experienced more modest increases in awareness levels.
In addition, 45 percent of residents say Ignition Park is important or very important to the future of South Bend's economy.
"We are very pleased with the growth of public awareness of Ignition Park and hope that experience will continue as the final Studebaker buildings on the site are demolished in 2010 and 2011," Luecke said.
The survey results serve as a measurement of the effectiveness of the South Bend Redevelopment Commission's contract with The Blue Waters Group, a communications firm hired to help promote Ignition Park and other research-based economic development efforts. Patrick Strickler, president of the firm, will report on its 2009-10 activity during the Redevelopment Commission's meeting.
In other survey results,
- Nearly 83 percent of residents said South Bend's relationship with the University of Notre Dame is beneficial to the area's economy.
- Nearly 73 percent of residents have access to the Internet at home.
- There is a significant gender gap in awareness of Ignition Park, Innovation Park and MIND. Men are statistically more likely to be aware of these technology-related initiatives than women.
The telephone survey of 400 adults living in the city of South Bend was conducted Feb. 25, 2010. It has a margin of error of +/- 5 percent.
Contact:
- Tom Price, Assistant to the Mayor, 235-9261 or 514-2169
- Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
