The newest Heartland Monitor Poll finds that the majority of Americans favor state and local governments to offer solutions to economic and social problems compared to the federal government.
The gridlock and dysfunction in Washington seems to be making people appreciate their local institutions more and more.
More than twice as many people credit local government for any progress achieved. Out of the 1,000 people surveyed, 26 percent thought the federal government was making progress compared to 64 percent who said the state and localities were the real drivers for progress. People hear the promises and big ideas coming out of Washington, but do not see any (positive) differences being made.
More than three times as many people said "new ideas and solutions" come from local institutions and business (69%) as cited national government (22%). And, 89% said investments by local businesses would help their local areas, while government help ranked last - behind efforts by volunteers, non-profits, local/state governments and private-government partnerships.
The Heartland Study sums it up, thusly:
"At home in their local areas, Americans are optimistic about their communities and their quality of life which provides a positive contrast to the negativity we’ve seen about the country. However, there is room for improvement on several local economic and social factors. And, Americans are asking for local institutions to provide new and innovative solutions and ideas."