A new poll shows that a majority of Pittsburghers believe the city is moving in the right direction in terms of bringing back jobs and affordable housing.
An Allstate Renewal Project poll found that 80 percent of area residents believe that Pittsburgh’s revitalization efforts are on the right path. In addition, 93 percent of residents indicated they believe those efforts can be used as a national model for other U.S. cities trying to rebound from hard times.
The poll touched on which industries would lead the way to Pittsburgh’s brighter future. Forty-six percent of respondents said it would take a “diverse mix of businesses” to make up for the region’s fading steel industry, with 26 percent saying the technology industry is likely to become “the new steel” and 19 percent betting on the health care sector to fill that void.
While development is important to Pittsburghers, 53 percent of respondents said they would like to see the city find ways to preserve its history while retrofitting older sites and buildings for modern needs.
Pittsburgh pride was on full display in the Allstate poll. Not only did 53 percent of residents say they have lived in the area their whole lives, but 78 percent said they would gladly recommend Pittsburgh to friends looking to resettle.
Pittsburghers celebrated the cultural institutions they enjoy daily, ranking the Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Art and the Duquesne Incline as the must-see attractions for tourists.
Surprisingly, only 54 percent of respondents said the city’s sports culture was one of its main draws. That said, 80 percent recommended checking out a Steelers game while in town, 79 percent advocated for the Pirates and 75 percent advised going to a Penguins game.
Eighty-four percent of poll respondents also cited the city’s professional sports teams as ambassadors of Pittsburgh pride, with 68 percent reporting that they own at least one Terrible Towel with an average of 2.5 Terrible Towels per Pittsburgher.
The Allstate poll interviewed 400 residents of the greater Pittsburgh area between April 22-26, 2017. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 4.9 in 95 out of 100 cases.
First Published: May 17, 2017, 7:57 p.m.