In Partnership with the John W. Altman Program in the Humanities, students at Miami University surveyed over 1,027 Ohioans on their opinions and perceptions of their communities and the region as a whole. The goal is to understand how personal and contextual factors help to shape views on social progress and regional improvement. Overall, these findings indicate that people in the Midwest generally perceive their communities as racially accepting, with slightly higher perceptions of acceptance in densely populated areas. However, despite these positive social views, most respondents believe that the Midwest is worse off than it was 25 years ago. The findings suggest that while racial acceptance is strong, this does not necessarily translate to broader perceptions of regional improvement.
To explore how Midwesterners engage with contemporary social values, we examined responses to a question on perceived racial acceptance: "In your opinion, how accepting do you feel the community you currently live in is of racial minorities?"
We then compared these assessments with several demographic and contextual factors, including respondents' education levels, broader regional views on racial acceptance, and the population density of their communities. This approach helps identify whether local context or individual background aligns with, or diverges from, perceptions of local acceptance in Midwestern regions.
In analyzing our first demographic measure, respondents' academic background, we looked for a difference in how people perceive racial acceptance in their local communities. This question was selected because, in theory, individuals with higher levels of education may be more attuned to subtle forms of discrimination or microaggressions. If that were the case, we might expect variation in perceived acceptance across educational levels.
However, the data shows relatively consistent views across groups. Most respondents, regardless of education, reported that their Midwest community is accepting of racial minorities (38%, 37%, and 36% for post-grad, 4-year, and some college, respectively). We found no substantial outliers, suggesting that specific education levels were not more likely to predict discriminatory practices, whether present or enabled, in their community. However, the p-value for this question was >0.05, indicating that there is still a relationship between these responses.
In addition to education, we examined how perceptions of local communities compare with broader views of the Midwest. Respondents were asked, "In your opinion, how accepting do you feel the Midwest, as a whole, is of racial minorities?"
In the graph, the Y-axis shows responses to this question. Turquoise bars represent respondents who view their own community as accepting, while blue bars represent those who feel their community is not. The results suggest that people generally perceive their own communities as more accepting than the Midwest as a whole (60% accepting, 40% not accepting in the community that chose not accepting for the Midwest region) . The p-value, however, was under 0.05 for the relationship between these questions but was still indicative of some relationship between these responses.
Finally, we analyzed how community density relates to perceptions of racial acceptance. The results showed a slight trend of those in more populated areas like the City or Suburbs reporting higher levels of racial acceptance in ther communities (97%, 94% accepting respectively) compared to less dense communities like towns or rural areas (77%, 79% accepting, respectivley) The p-value for the relation of this set of questions sits at 0.05 >, but still indicates some relationship between the variables.
Next, we examined respondents' overall view of whether "The Midwest is better off today than it was 25 years ago". While interpretations of "better off" can vary, typical factors often considered include access to infrastructure and resources, cultural values, and a sense of a tight-knit community, elements that generally indicate a positive community experience.
To better understand these perceptions, we cross-analyzed responses with three other topics: views on racial acceptance, length of living in the Midwest, and whether respondents self-identify as Midwesterners.
When examining perception of regional improvement wth views on racial acceptance, an interesting pattern emerges. A notable portion of respondents (50.7%) belive that the Midwest is worse off now than t was 25 years ago, yet still view the region as very accepting of racial minories.
This finding is striking because high levels of perceived acceptance are typically associated with positive evaluations of a community. The contrast suggests that respondents may differentiate between social inclusivity and different aspects of regional "betterment" such as economic opportunities, infrastructure, or more. The p-value for the relation in this set of questions is 0.05 >, indicating some relationship between the variables.
To explore how perspectives shift with time spent living in the Midwest, we cross-analyzed length of residency with perceptions of regional improvement over the past 25 years.
The results reveal a modest but steady trend of disagreement with the statement that the Midwest is better off increasing as the length of residency grows (the Highest percentage being 45% in 50+ years of residency). This pattern is consistent with expectations: longer-term residents have more personal experience to draw on when assessing a region they have lived in for a considerable amount of time, whereas newer residents have a more limited frame of reference and tend to have a positive outlook on their new place of residence. The p-value for the relation of this set of questions sits at 0.05 >, but still indicates some relationship between the variables.
Finally, we compared perceptions of regional improvement with respondents' self-identification as Midwesterners. The data shows a slightly higher percentage of respondents who identify as Midwesterners, with roughly equal numbers unsure.
Interestingly, both those who identify as Midwesterners and those who do not share similar outlooks on the region, with disagreement about the Midwest being better off being the most common response (43% among Midwestern identifiers, 36% among non-identifiers). Respondents who are unsure about their Midwestern identity tend to show more divergence from this set of perspectives. The p-value for the relation of this set of questions sits at 0.05 >, but still indicates some relationship between the variables.
Overall, however, a slight trend shows that most people living in the Midwest, regardless of whether they identify as Midwesterners, do not believe the region has improved over the past 25 years.
AAPOR Disclosure
Data is from a survey of 1027 registered voters in Ohio from Oct 28-30, 2025. The sample frame was purchased from L2 Data and was a random sample of registered voters with cell phones. The survey was sponsored by the Menard Family Center for Democracy. The full survey language can be found here.
Participants were recruited using text messages and then completed the survey online. The sample was rake weighted to Ohio registered voters using education (3 categories), race (white/non-white) by sex, age (3 categories), recalled vote for the 2024 election, party registration, and vote history. The targets for the last two variables were taken from L2 voter file data while the remaining variables (except for recalled vote choice) were from the CPS November 2024 Voter Supplement. For recalled vote choice we assumed that 5% of votes in the 2024 election would fit into the “Other/Did not vote” category. The Margin of Error for questions 6 and 7 was +- 3 percentage points. The overall Margin of Error was +- 5 percentage points.