Metro Leaders Pledge to Rebuff Economic Perceptions

Proclamation Signed “We believe in Greater Des Moines”

Greater Des Moines, IA - Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Representatives from the Metropolitan Advisory Council and regional Chambers of Commerce joined partners of the “I Believe” campaign today to announce second quarter local consumer confidence research conducted by Harvest Research Center. Harvest implemented a localized version of the national consumer confidence tracking model utilized by The Conference Board.

“We’ve watched other areas of the country suffer huge economic swings, first upward and then downward,” 2009 Metropolitan Advisory Council and Mayor of Urbandale, Bob Andeweg said. “We can’t help but feel fortunate that our local impact has seemed so much more manageable by comparison.

The consumer confidence model is a leading economic indicator and benchmark for evaluation of the economic condition from a descriptive and policy standpoint. The localized version of this research will continue to be tracked through the Harvest Omnibus Survey of Des Moines area consumers, a quarterly survey of 300 area households with sampling based on U.S. Census demographics for the region.

Harvest Research found that perceptions of present-day conditions remain unfavorable and more pessimistic among Des Moines area residents when compared to the national average. While perceptions of current business conditions appear to be somewhat worse than the national average, local perceptions of the business climate and employment conditions appear to be holding steady as compared to first quarter findings within the community. Perceptions of the short-term economic outlook for the next six months may be more optimistic than the national average and appear to have improved somewhat over findings from the first quarter of 2009.

“This local consumer ‘lack of’ confidence flies in the face of those projects happening right outside our windows,” stated John Irving, 2009 Chair of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Affiliate President’s Council. “It threatens to stand in our path back to economic security and ultimately prosperity.”

Following the release of the research findings, area Mayors, City Councilors, Chamber and business leaders and other community representatives joined together to sign a region-wide proclamation of belief in the future prosperity of Greater Des Moines. The proclamation will be hung in the Greater Des Moines Partnership offices on behalf of the affiliate Chambers of Commerce and regional communities. Each community was also charged with replicating a local proclamation within their own cities, furthering the grass roots engagement of the effort.

The “I Believe” campaign is supported by media, business and community partners donating time, services and ad space to communicate, empower and connect with consumers on the economic realities facing our region. The campaign partners encourage area residents to contribute their “I Believe” stories of hope, opportunity and success to the website, www.ibelievedm.com. The website also includes local economic indicators and lists the participating partners in the campaign.

To learn more or get involved, visit www.ibelievedm.com, or contact Amanda Steward at (515) 240-0343.

Harvest Research Center Report on Economic Conditions (PDF)

Good news from around the region (PDF)