Urban America In ‘Era of Good Feeling’.

Americans are in an “era of good feeling” seven months after terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., including an overwhelming majority of residents in the four largest U.S. cities and their suburbs who report their lives are “completely” or “somewhat back to normal” after the 9/11 attacks.

According to a recent survey of more than 1,600 people in four major markets — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston — most people in these cities and the rest of the nation now seem to view the Sept. 11 attacks as “an isolated incident, a stumbling block, but not something that has really changed the way they live their lives” according to Richard Murray, director of the Center for Public Policy (CPP) at the University of Houston, who coordinated the surveys.

Even in the New York metro area, only 13 percent of the persons sampled said things were “not back to normal.”

Sixty four percent of those surveyed believe the nation as a whole is on the right track, with comparable percentages saying their local area is moving in a positive direction. Regarding future plans, about 75 percent of urban respondents say they will probably live in the same area five years from now. Those who move will do so for traditional reasons — the economy, family, retirement — not because of the implications of Sept. 11.

“People in the cities we surveyed, and the nation as a whole, are not fearful or negative toward their communities. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. In some sense I would say we are now in an ‘era of good feeling,'” Murray said. “September 11 was a stumbling block for the country, but it has not sparked a downward spiral for America’s major cities. In fact, metropolitan areas appear to be stronger than ever.”

The survey was conducted March 31 through April 16, with a comparable national sampling of 770 residents in other areas taken between April 15 and April 23 by the CPP. The results were made public today at UH during the 2nd Annual Lanier Conference: “The Resurgence of America’s Great Cities: Causes, Consequences and Sustainability After 9/11.”

Eighty percent of the people participating in the survey feel either very positive or somewhat positive about their quality of life in their respective areas. While approximately 60 percent of Americans surveyed say Sept. 11 has sparked changes, about 66 percent of those individuals believe the changes are for the good of the area in which they live as well as for the country.

Also, Americans are willing to give up some personal freedoms — searches at major public events, creating a national identity card — in order to curb terrorism. They will not, however, give government carte blanche to peer into their personal lives, with about 66 percent of those sampled opposing government access to private banking records for individuals or corporations.

“We also found that city dwellers enjoy their living environment. That is, they enjoy the arts and the city’s diversity,” said Bob Lanier, former Houston mayor and conference participant. “The urban mood is good, and overall people are resilient and positive.”

Complete survey results of the four major markets and the nation and analysis on the four metropolitan areas CLICK below:

http://www.uh.edu/cpp/lanierconference.htm