Only 44% of Pittsburghers trust their community's direction — lowest of 10 US cities
What's the deal? A new survey finds that just 44% of Pittsburghers are confident in the direction their community is headed — the lowest of 10 US cities polled. The data, from market research firm The Harris Poll, points to an uneven tech boom that leaves some residents behind.
Why now? Local experts in higher education, workforce development, and venture gathered last week at a Mount Washington restaurant to discuss the findings and how to spread innovation's benefits more widely.
Two cities in one: Residents living miles apart face different economic realities, said Petra Mitchell, president and CEO of economic development org Catalyst ConnectionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. "Depending on who you ask, you're going to get two very different responses," she said — one group calls things "amazing," while another lives with "blight" and "poverty."
The survey polled 2,000 Americans across 10 cities, roughly 200 per city. Nationally, 43% are confident in America versus 58% in their community. Pittsburgh scored 36% and 44% respectively — its community figure the lowest of the group. Stamford topped both categories at 59% and 69%.
Smaller city samples carry a wider margin of error than the overall poll.
The jobs gap: The Pittsburgh metro has 4,000 open manufacturing positions, about 60% of which require no degree, according to Mitchell. But awareness and access lag. "People that have been living in these communities... they don't see themselves in these roles," she said, pointing to four decades of decline since the industrial age.
She added that AI could help, from virtual job-site tours to training tools.
Who commissioned it? The survey was funded by Philip Morris International US (PMI US), the tobacco company behind the nicotine pouch ZYNDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It aims to give business leaders a roadmap to "strengthen trust, expand opportunity and foster innovation," per the report.
Nearly nine in 10 Pittsburgh respondents said they are more likely to believe in a company's innovation when they can see how it benefits real communities. "Pittsburgh reflects a city that has experienced reinvention, and it believes it's possible," said Jody Sunna, chief communications officer for PMI US, "but only when it's real and when they can see how it impacts them."
The signal: Pittsburgh's reinvention story — from steel to robotics and AI — is a common narrative for legacy industrial cities. The poll suggests the harder test is not building a tech sector but convincing long-overlooked residents they belong in it.
Read more: technical.ly
Image credit: daveynin
