Ground Level: Minnesotans upbeat even as problems, politics swirl
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Politics, geography, race and education sharply divide Minnesotans on many issues. Yet, they feel overwhelmingly hopeful about the state's future.
That's a key finding in a new survey by MPR News and its sister organization APM Research Lab. The lab surveyed 1,654 Minnesota residents in late August and early September and found Minnesotans of all stripes feel Minnesota's on the right track.
There's still plenty of division, of course: immigration, taxes and Donald Trump are among many issues tugging on Minnesota's overall optimism. Some of this reflects politics, as Democrats increasingly cluster in the metro and Republicans in rural and exurban areas.
But other parts of the divide reflect different ways of seeing the world.
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"The Twin Cities vs. rural Minnesota is getting to be a big divide in style of living," an Itasca County woman wrote. When the survey asked what one thing she'd change about Minnesota, she replied, "Urban and cities have little understanding of rural."
MPR News will be exploring what the survey says about the things that unite and divide Minnesotans all week, and continuing through the coming months.
Here are some of the survey's key takeaways.
Across-the-board hope
Regardless of where they live or what they believe, most Minnesotans are optimistic about their state's future. More than 80 percent say they're more hopeful than fearful about what lies ahead for Minnesota.