Wisconsin State of Mind:

A National Perception Study

WI is a Leader in… All Responses (N=2018)

• Parks and Recreation/Natural Resources

• Quality of Life

• Sense of Community

(Everyone agrees)

Important in Selecting a Place to Live

All Responses

• Education

• Job Opportunities

• Crime/Safety

(Everyone agrees)

How Does WI Stack Up All Responses

What WI is best at… • Sports and Recreation

• Commute Time

• Crime/Safety

What WI needs work on… • Weather

• Social Tolerance/Diversity

• Job Opportunities

Jobs in Wisconsin All Responses

Agriculture (83%)

Healthcare (77%)

Food Processing (74%)

---------------------

Technology (45%)

Jobs in Wisconsin Wisconsin Respondents

18-34 35+

Agriculture Healthcare

Healthcare Agriculture

Manufacturing Tourism

----------- -----------

Technology Technology

Jobs in Wisconsin Out-of-State Respondents

18-34 35+

Agriculture Agriculture

Food Processing Food Processing

Manufacturing Healthcare

----------- -----------

Technology Technology

Positive Perceptions All Responses

• Outdoors/Natural Resources (76%)

• Cost of Living (41%)

• Sports/Recreation (37%)

• Education (37%)

(Everyone agrees)

Negative Perceptions All Responses

• Job Opportunities (52%)

• Climate (48%)

• Social Tolerance/Diversity (46%)

• Wage Expectations (46%)

(Everyone agrees)

Where would you relocate?

Out of State In State

California Minnesota

Colorado Colorado

Oregon Oregon

North Carolina Washington

Washington California

#6 Wisconsin!

What comes to mind when you think of Wisconsin?

Out of State In State

Cheese Beautiful

Cold Friendly

Packers Divided

Friendly Cold

Beautiful Cheese

Taking our Packers for granted?!?!

What did we learn from the benchmarks and the

perception survey?

What did we learn?

• We’re beautiful and we know it . . . and so does everyone else!

• We have brains to go with our good looks.

• We have a very well kept secret – job opportunities (and not all in Ag).

What did we learn?

• We’re not cheap, we’re frugal.

• We may need to look in the mirror.

• It’s the middle of December and the golf courses are open . . . we DO NOT have a weather problem.

Next

• See through Academic and Career Planning implementation

• Follow-up on branding discussion

• Localize benchmark data

• Regionalize and localize jobs data

Next

• Use benchmark data and perception survey results to drive goal-setting conversations and initiate action plans

• Summarize state partner suggestions

• Collect attendee suggestions/priorities

• Establish 2016 Action Plan by 1/1/16

Visit www.futurewi.org for today’s presentations and information

For an in-person presentation, contact:

Jim Morgan President, WMC Foundation

jmorgan@wmc.org

608.258.3400 @JimMorgan1960