Philly: Upbeat, Excited and Optimistic

Recent poll says Philly residents are very optimistic

A recent poll conducted by the Pew Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative shows that Philadelphians are enthusiastic about living in the “City of Brotherly Love.”

According to the poll, Philadelphians are rather confident about the future of the city, despite staggering unemployment numbers and the ongoing budget crisis, reports Larry Eichel for the Inquirer.

When asked how they view the city 63 percent of respondents see Philadelphia as a “good” or “excellent” place to live – compared to 55 percent about a year ago.

Among those polled, 47 percent see an improvement in the overall quality of life on the horizon and 68 percent believe Philly will be a better place to live five years from now. Furthermore, an impressive 66 percent of residents say they would recommend the city as a place to live to friends.

Though most residents are happy with the current status of the city. This poll revealed keen insight on the outlook of three particular groups of Philadelphians: young adults, newcomers and African Americans.

Let’s start with the newcomers. They are described as those who have lived in the city less than 10 years. They represent 13 percent of the total adult population of Philadelphia. On average, their evaluation of Mayor Nutter’s performance is more forgiving than that of long-term residents.

Young people – ages 18 to 34 – aren’t as pleased with life in Philly. There is a stark contrast in their level of financial security compared to that of other groups and about one-third of them describe themselves as unemployed. Among young people, 45 percent say they would move out of the city if given the opportunity.

Rounding out the three groups are African Americans who account for 44 percent of the total population. More blacks than whites have a less favorable opinon of Mayor Nutter's performance. Futhermore, fewer blacks than whites ranked their neighborhoods as safe places to live and 28 percent of blacks ranked their financial situations as poor.

Despite these bleak conditions African Americans are more optimistic about Philly’s future than most. Sixty-two percent of blacks believe financial prosperity is on the horizon and 52 percent expect that conditions of public schools will improve.

Forbes magazine recently ranked Philadelphia as one of America’s Most Miserable Cities citing violent crime, unemployment, taxes and commute times. We’ve also been ranked as the most stressed, the fattest and the ugliest.

What would they know about this great city? Half of those snobby elitists don’t even live here. We’ve birthed the Declaration of Independence, Rocky Balboa and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air himself.

Ask all of the residents of this marvelous city and they’ll tell you, “It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.”
 

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