Americans who expect to be heard are more than twice as likely to feel motivated to give back, Gallup finds

Most Americans think the places they live are worth investing in, but only about a third expect anyone to listen to their ideas for improving them, according to a Gallup survey that the polling firm and the Walton Family Foundation released on October 28, 2026. The report, The Power of Community Voice, finds that people who do expect to be heard are far more likely to say they feel motivated to give back to their town or city.

Seventy-two percent of U.S. adults agree the area where they live is worth investing in, and 60% feel hopeful about its future. About half (49%) feel a strong sense of responsibility to help improve their town or city, and 46% feel motivated to give back. Fewer are confident they can shape what happens: 42% agree that people like them have a voice in local decisions that matter, and 34% agree that someone would listen if they had an idea for improving their community. On that question, 40% neither agreed nor disagreed and 26% disagreed.

The link between being heard and giving back

The widest gap is on motivation. Among adults who agree that someone would listen to their ideas, 71% feel motivated to give back, compared with 33% of those who are neutral or disagree, a difference of 38 percentage points. People who expect to be heard are also more likely to say their area is worth investing in, at 85% against 65%. A similar pattern holds for preparedness: 60% of those who think their community is ready for future challenges feel motivated to give back, against 36% of others.

The release cautions that the survey cannot determine which comes first. Feeling heard may make people want to contribute, or people who already want to contribute may be more likely to feel heard. "What's in shorter supply is the belief that it would make a difference," said Justin Lall, a principal at Gallup.

What the survey does not measure

The questions measure attitudes, not behavior. Neither the release nor the report defines giving back as donating money or volunteering, and the report gives no figures on how much respondents gave or how often they volunteered. The results come from a Gallup Panel web survey of 6,732 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted from February 26 to March 6, 2026, almost eight months before publication. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points for results around 50%, and larger for age groups.

Age makes little difference to the motivation figure: 45% of adults aged 18 to 34 feel motivated to give back, compared with 46% of those aged 35 to 54 and 47% of those 55 or older. Younger adults are, however, less likely to expect someone to listen, to feel hopeful about their community or to think it is prepared for what comes next.

Who is behind the research

The report is part of a series of studies on opportunity in America by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, a private foundation that, according to its financial reports page, awarded $548.8 million in grants in 2024. "We believe opportunity grows when people have the power to shape their own futures and a voice in the future of their communities," said Luis Gonzalez, its director of communications. "That's why we work alongside local leaders and residents," he added.