State residents not giving up on Michigan cities, report finds

Contact: Amy Baumer, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, (517) 355-6672, baumeram@msu.edu; or Geoff Koch, University Relations, (517) 432-0924, kochg@msu.edu

11/28/2005

EAST LANSING, Mich. – In recent years, Michigan cities have been associated with a steady stream of bleak news. Yet for all the headlines about unemployment, crime and general urban decay, a majority of the state’s residents still think that cities matter to Michigan’s well-being, according to a new report by the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University.

According to the report, 55 percent of Michigan residents today say that cities are very important to the state. In 2002, by contrast, 71 percent of respondents declared cities to be very important.

Despite the shift in sentiment, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research director Douglas B. Roberts finds reason for optimism in the data. Specifically, given the increasingly dire statewide economic conditions, attitudes about cities and their seemingly intractable problems could be far worse.

“The good news for cities is that a majority of Michigan residents not only recognize the importance of cities to our state, they also see a need for state funds to be directed toward their revitalization,” said Roberts.

Perhaps surprisingly, Detroit is the source of additional good news for the state’s urban advocates. Since 2002, the percentage of Michiganians declaring the Motor City to be very important has increased from 37 percent to 44 percent.

The report is based on the Institute’s most recent State of the State Survey. A total of 988 randomly selected adult Michigan residents were interviewed by telephone between Aug. 10 and Sept. 26. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent. 

Michigan’s ongoing racial divide is reflected in the survey responses, though the study authors say the differences are muted. For example, while a large majority of black residents say that cities are very important to Michigan, barely half of whites feel the same way. This holds true regardless of where people live.

Attitudes are remarkably similar, though, across the state’s geographical regions. Both urban and rural residents, for example, believe that more state spending should be aimed at cities. And perhaps paradoxically, it’s Upper Peninsula residents who are most likely to join their urban counterparts in saying that too little is being spent on Michigan cities.

The report also breaks down opinions by income, gender and age. Unlike older residents, most Michigan young adults, ages 18 to 29, would prefer to live in a medium or large city and think that the state isn’t spending enough to revitalize these cities.

Among the other findings:

• More than half of Michigan residents, 57 percent, believe that the state is spending too little or far too little on the revitalization of Michigan’s cities.
• Most residents, 80 percent, would prefer to live in a single-family detached house. Less than 20 percent would choose to live in a townhouse, condominium or other type of housing unit.
• Most prefer the type of community in which they currently live. Suburban living is favored most by those at higher income levels.
• Men are more likely to favor less congested living environments, while women prefer medium-sized cities, suburbs and small towns.
• Nearly all residents, 88 percent, think that the state has at least some responsibility to invest in cities.

“These results are encouraging for Michigan cities that are working toward revitalization,” said Roberts. “The public clearly supports state involvement here.”

The Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) is the nonpartisan public policy network at MSU. Housed within the College of Social Science, IPPSR is dedicated to connecting legislators, scholars and practitioners through survey, evaluation and applied research, policy forums and political leadership instruction.

A research bulletin and additional sources from the study are available on the Web at www.ippsr.msu.edu