Residents agree that Alabama is not lacking in the "Southern hospitality" department, according to a recent survey conducted among Alabamians by Ask Alabama.
Of 639 households surveyed in July about the state's overall friendliness, race relations and economy, 96 percent said Alabama can be described as a "friendly" state.
"The survey gives some idea of how Alabamians feel about various issues," said Don-Terry Veal, director of the Center for Governmental Services. "On average, most who responded to this survey share in the belief that this is a great place to live and raise a family."
The results, according to David Hill, associate director of the Center for Governmental Services, are important because it is this Southern charm that draws international businesses who are looking to invest in North American operations.
Hill said big businesses like Kia and Hyundai came to Alabama and Georgia because they were looking at not only profitable sites for investment, but also the perceived friendliness of the people they would be hiring.
When creating the survey, Hill said he wanted to ask questions that capture perceptions of life in Alabama today.
"What we hoped to have were questions that would be valuable to track over the years," Hill said. "We don't know today how Alabama's population may change, but 10 years from now, if there is a large change, we will have something that will reflect the state's identity."
Ninety-one percent of residents agreed that Alabama is a "good place to raise a family," and 90 percent agreed it is a "good place to buy a home."
Seventy-eight percent of blacks and 83 percent of whites think it is accurate to say Alabama has good race relations.
David Carter, associate professor in the history department, said he thinks Alabamians may pat themselves on the back too soon as a state with regard to race relations.
"I have been here 10 years and my mother grew up in Birmingham in the 40s and 50s," Carter said. "There is no question that the whole landscape of race relations has shifted in huge ways, but we still have a long way to go in mirroring the full diversity of the state."
A couple of areas must be addressed by state officials in order to improve the results in future surveys, Carter said.
"There are some undercurrents where we haven't tackled tax reform and poverty issues," Carter said. "Race relations seem better, but until we work on more equitable economic opportunities for everyone then we just won't be as successful of a state as we could be."
But while the results may have been more positive with regard to state friendliness and race relations, 63 percent said Alabama is a "good place to start and build a business," while only 43 percent said it is a "good place to find a job."
"Our sense of the data overall is that people are expressing frustration with the economy nationally and globally more than they are critiquing Alabama," Hill said.
Some state residents agree with the results of the survey.
"I think we are very friendly compared to other states," said Mary Jo Thompson, a senior in English education. "I have been up North and everywhere in between, and it all comes back to just Southern courtesy, like holding doors open for people, stopping to help people who need it and giving directions to people who are lost."
The Ask Alabama poll is conducted quarterly by the Center for Governmental Services, which is a unit of Auburn University Outreach.
According to the CGS Web site, this unit "provides research, consulting and training to government agencies, not-for-profit associations and private sector clients."
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