Gallup used the U.S. Census definitions of the Knight community region.  For the most part, the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) was used. However, in a few cases the µSA (Micropolitan Statistical Area), MD (Metropolitan Division) or zip code definition of the community area was used.

Areas were chosen to provide a regional view of Knight communities.

Census definitions align with external performance data such as local GDP, population growth, health, welfare and educational data necessary for analysis. It also allows for merging with other administrative data for additional analyses.

Community attachment is the loyalty and passion people feel for where they live. It is an emotional connection that goes beyond residents’ satisfaction with the community. The Soul of the Community study seeks to understand what things about a community drive this loyalty and passion for place so we can potentially further connect residents to their community.

The Soul of the Community study identified 11 domains with varying levels of impact in driving
community attachment:

1. Social offerings: Entertainment infrastructure for people to meet each other and how much
residents care about each other.
2. Openness: How welcoming the community is to different types of people.
3. Aesthetics: An area's physical beauty and green spaces.
4. Education: Quality of K-12 schooling and local colleges and universities.
5. Basic services: Infrastructure supports, including highways, housing and health care.
6. Leadership: Rating of leadership and whether elected officials represent residents’ interests.
7. Economy: Local economic and employment conditions.
8. Emotional wellness: The mixture of mental and physical well-being.
9. Safety: Local crime and safety conditions.
10. Social capital: The personal connections residents have to each other.
11. Civic involvement: Voting, volunteering, attending meetings, and working for change.

Social offerings, openness, social offerings and aesthetics consistently proved to be the key
drivers of community attachment across the Knight communities in both all three years of the
study.

Openness is the perception of how welcoming a community is to different types of people, including people with young children, senior citizens, college graduates and minorities, among other groups.

Openness apears among the top three drivers in all of the Knight communities in 2010.