Competitive Wisconsin / WAA Research Project

Paula BonnerPresident and CEO

Wisconsin Alumni Association

Mark MenzelDirector of Marketing and Research

Wisconsin Alumni Association

September 13, 2006

Survey Penetration• Sent to 43,670 alumni via e-mail

26,778 from across the state of WI 16,892 from WAA “geocities” across the

country: Chicago, Twin Cities, New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Denver and Boston

• 4,551 respondents (10.4% response rate) 95% confidence level

In-state vs. out-of-stateDo you currently live and/or work

in Wisconsin?

40.1%

59.9%

NoYes

Breakout of WI respondentsWhich best describes the region in

Wisconsin where you currently live?

23.0%

5.8%

1.4%

0.9%

12.1%

56.7%

Madison

Milwaukee

Fox Valley

Chippewa Valley

St. Croix Valley

Elsewhere in WI

Where WI respondents work• Very little variability between where WI

residents live and where they work 95.9% of respondents work in the same area in

which they live Less than 1.5% of WI residents surveyed

commute across the border to IL or MN

Breakout of out-of-state respondents

Which best describes the area outside of Wisconsin where you

currently live and/or work?

11.9%

6.6%

7.1%

6.0%9.3%

26.1%

33.0%

Twin Cities

Chicago

New York

Los Angeles

Denver

Boston

Other

Out-of-state responsesWhy did you leave Wisconsin?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tocontinue

myeducation

For myexisting job

For mycareer

For mypartner's

job

To becloser to

family

To getback to myhome area

To explorea new area

Other*

* “Other” includes: For lower taxes, Didn’t like it in WI, Wanted a more attractive lifestyle, Didn’t like the weather, and Other.

Out-of-state responsesHave you considered moving back

to Wisconsin?

41%

59%

NoYes

Out-of-state responsesWould you consider moving back to Wisconsin?

Open-ended response trends:

If Yes, why*?Great place to live 42%

Family and friends 26%

Affordable cost of living 18%

Better quality of life 8%

Good people in WI 6%

If No, why not?Lack of job opportunities 27%

Family/friends elsewhere

16%

WI not urban enough 16%

Inclement weather 8%

* Of those that said yes, roughly 15% said the only reason they don’t move back to WI is due to lack of career/job opportunities.

Out-of-state responsesWhat would influence you in your

decision to move back to Wisconsin?

0 20 40 60 80 100

Similar job in your field

Better paying job in your field

Better schools for your children

Lower taxes

Higher quality of life

Access to venture capital

More influential Less influential

Wisconsin resident responses

As a current Wisconsin resident, what's your relationship to the

state?

20.4%

12.9%

1.3%

5.1%

60.4%

Homegrown

Boomerang

Alum Transplant

Career Transplant

Other

Wisconsin resident responsesHow much time passed

between leaving Wisconsin and your return?

28.5%

45.7%

12.6%

13.1% 0-3 years

4-6 years

7-9 years

10+ years

Wisconsin resident responsesWhy do you choose to live in

Wisconsin?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

To continuemy

education

For mychildren'seducation

For my job For myspouse's

job

To be closerto parents

To be closerto spouse's

parents

To enjoy thequality of life

Other

WI resident responsesHow long do you plan on living in

Wisconsin?

13.9%5.1%

1.7%

13.0%

41.3%

24.9% 0-3 years

4-6 years

7-9 years

10+ years

Lifetime

Don't know

Composite responsesParticipants were asked how influential the following

factors were in their decision to live in a community:• Vitality: I value a vibrant community where people are “out and about”

using public parks, trails and recreation areas, and living in a healthy community.

• Cost of Lifestyle: I want a community where I can afford to live, work and play.

• Social Capital: I value living in a diverse community where people are engaged and involved in community life.

• Around Town: I want access to places for: eating out, entertainment, bars, coffee shops and stores.

• Employment Opportunity: I want a broad choice of places to work and an environment that is friendly to entrepreneurs.

• Learning: I want to plug into strong schools, smart community and lifelong learning opportunities (e.g., yoga or cooking classes; book clubs; classes, etc.).

Composite responsesHow influentual are the following in

your decision to live in a community?

0 20 40 60 80 100

Learning

Employment Opportunities

Around town

Social Capital

Cost of Lifestyle

Vitality

More influential Less influential

Composite responsesHow much do you agree with the

following statements about Wisconsin?

1

2

3

4

It's a greatplace to raise

a family

It's a greatplace to be asingle, youngprofessional

It's a greatplace to beinvolved in

community life

It's a greatplace to raise

my kids

It's a greatplace for a

career

It has greatschools for

my kids

I can/could behappy in

Wisconsin

It's a greatplace to go toschool but I'dnever want to

live there

In-state vs. out-of-state• Out-of-state respondents agreed less

strongly with the following statements: It’s a great place to be a single, young

professional It’s a great place for a career

Composite responsesWould you recommend Wisconsin

to a peer who was considering relocating?

6%

94%

No

Yes

Composite responsesWould you recommend WI to a peer who was

considering relocating?

Open-ended response trends:

If Yes, why?

Quality of life 33%

Quality of schools 19%

Scenic beauty 18%

Affordable living 11%

If No, why not?Small towns 29%

Lack of career opportunities

24%

Lack of diversity 17%

Inclement weather 11%

DemographicsGender

Female 57.9%

Male 42.1%

Age Responses Percentage22-25 961 22.4

26-29 1013 23.6

30-34 845 19.7

35-39 654 15.2

40-45 818 19.1

In-state vs. out-of-stateAge did have an effect on in-state vs. out-of-

state residency• A higher percentage of 22-25 year-olds and

25-29 year-olds were from out-of-state• WI had a higher percentage of 35-39 year-

olds and 40-45 year-olds.

DemographicsProfessional Experience

0

10

20

30

40

GraduateStudent

0-3 yearsprofessionalexperience

4-7 yearsprofessionalexperience

More than 7years of

professionalexperience

Self-employed

entrepreneur

Other

DemographicsHighest level of education attained

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Four-year college Graduate Professional PhD

Demographics

Which best describes the industry in which you work?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Advertising/Marketing/

PublicRelations

Education FinancialServices

Government Healthcare IT/Computer Legal Science

In-state vs. out-of-stateLocation showed very little effect on industry• Only two industries showed significant

effect:• 6.73% more WI residents were in health care• 5.46% more WI residents were in education

• Other variations among industries across residency showed little significance

Demographics

What is your annual household income level?

0

5

10

15

20

25

Under$35K

$35- $50K

$51- $75K

$76- $100K

$101-$150K

$151-$200K

Over$200K

In-state vs. out-of-stateIncome was affected by state residency:• In general, people out-of-state earn more in

all salary ranges except $75-$100K• 3% more for $100-$150K• 2% more for $150-200K• 5% more for $200K+

• Numbers not heavily significant

DemographicsEthnicity

1.1%

0.4%

3.4%

1.5%

93.5%

White

African American

Native American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Hispanic

DemographicsMarital Status

49.7%

0.4%

3.2%0.1%

46.7%

Single, never married

Married

Separated

Divorced

Widowed

Summary• Wisconsin’s biggest asset is quality of life• People who choose to live in WI, work in WI• WI is doing well, retaining 80.7% of in-state

respondents who grew up here• Nearly 75% of respondents from WI come

back within six years• Nearly half of all WI residents participating

indicate a plan to be in WI 10+ years…with over 40% saying they’ll be in WI for life!

Summary• Job/Career-related opportunities was the

leading reason out-of-state respondents said they left WI

• Still, 58.9% of out-of-state respondents said they would consider moving back to WI However, job/career-related opportunities was

still a major concern• Ultimately, respondents indicate that any

community, regardless of where, must “have it all” for it to be a consideration of where to live