Top Ten U.S. Cities with Infrastructure Concerns per QSR International Analysis

“Human Data” analysis reveals the cities most concerned with aging
infrastructure; what is causing the most worry

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Atlanta–Roads, bridges and energy are the most cited by U.S. residents as
concerns, according to a “human data” analysis of public sentiment
toward aging infrastructure.


The analysis, “U.S. Infrastructure Sentiment & Concerns,” was conducted
to determine which cities and major-metropolitan areas are most
concerned about infrastructure, and which specific issues are causing
the most concern. The findings are the result of a two-month examination
of nearly 10,500 tweets discussing the topic from more than 4,000
Twitter users. Research software developer QSR International conducted
the analysis.

According to the findings, the following are the top 10 cities
expressing concern over infrastructure needs, as well as the specific
issues most cited from those cities:

      1.   Atlanta                       Roads and Bridges
2. Washington, DC Roads and Bridges / Infrastructure Plan
3. New York City/ Tri-State Area Infrastructure Plan
4. San Francisco Bay Area Infrastructure Plan / Energy and the Power Grid
5. Boston Energy and the Power Grid
6. Denver Energy and the Power Grid
7. San Diego Area Infrastructure Plan / Dams
8. Los Angeles Infrastructure Plan
9. Indianapolis

Roads and Bridges / Transportation

10.

Philadelphia Roads and Bridges / Energy and The Power Grid
 

“Residents across the nation are coming face to face with the real
problems created by aging highways, roads, bridges and other
infrastructure,” said Chris Astle, CEO of QSR International. “As these
issues come to light, citizens are taking to social media and other
outlets to express their concerns and call for action. It’s important
that community leaders listen.”

Infrastructure in the United States has been in decline for decades,
according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) annual
Infrastructure Report Card. In the group’s most recent report card,
nearly all categories examined earned a C grade or lower.

The QSR human data analysis amplifies the findings of the ASCE Report
Card. According to the QSR analysis, concerns across the nation ranged
from calls for stronger leadership on the issue to worries about
infrastructure planning and costs. Some key findings of the analysis
include:

• California saw the strongest calls for leadership on the issue (70
percent expressed concerns over the state government’s efforts on the
issue)

• California was also loudest on the topic of infrastructure investment
(36 percent of tweets focused on funding)

• Georgia residents generated the most noise overall on the topic
(nearly 20 percent of all Twitter activity on the issue originated in
Georgia), spurred by news of the Interstate 85 bridge collapse

• Washington, D.C. tweets focused on infrastructure planning and taxes,
as well as a concern for wider U.S. decline

• New Yorkers were most concerned about power outages and the decline of
bridges

• California residents focused on dams and flooding issues

“The human data analysis made possible by new technology clearly
demonstrates how strongly citizens across the country feel about the
nation’s infrastructure problems, going way beyond what a simple
analysis of regional statistics might provide,” Astle said. “For
policymakers, understanding how constituents are feeling and combining
that information with numerical data on any given issue provides a
clearer glimpse into a community’s needs and desires. These new insights
can make the difference between satisfying community needs and appearing
to be out of touch.”

About QSR International

Every day, QSR International helps 1.5 million researchers, marketers
and others to utilize Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) to uncover deeper
insights contained within the “human data” collected via social media,
consumer feedback and other means. The company’s innovative suite of
NVivo software products allows both structured numerical data and
unstructured “human” data to be analyzed together, uncovering powerful
insights unattainable through quantitative data analysis alone. This
capability helps to forge more informed decisions that create growth,
solve problems and improve lives. With benefits for individuals, teams
and organizations, NVivo lets you work with your information in ways
that just aren’t possible manually.

Headquartered in Australia, QSR International maintains offices in the
United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. Learn more at www.qsrinternational.com.

Contacts

Volume PR
Kristina Groves, 720-529-4850
[email protected]