Measuring the Creative Class: Do We Know It When We See It?

ABSTRACT:

Looking across the growing creative class literature, several methodologies for measurement have been employed: analysis of census data and other economic, business, and quality of life indicators; case studies and other descriptive efforts; and surveys of business leaders and other experts. These methods have provided little overall sense of relative validity. This research examines the nature of the creative class using a variety of measures: occupational and demographic profiles, talent and diversity, an expert survey of successful downtowns, creative class accoutrements, and case studies. Specific research questions include the following: Are rankings on different indicators correlated? Do the same municipalities come up high on all indicators of the creative class? How do the different measurement systems relate to overall economic health and growth? Which measurement or combination of measurement systems appears most reliable?

Notes

1 Several metropolitan areas have been excluded. Recent regional amalgamations have created areas in the size range that lack a midsized urban core community suitable for this analysis; Chatham/Kent, Ontario is an example.

2 Exploratory factor analysis was run on all of the indicators to allow variables to load freely. This resulted in seven factors that were difficult to interpret, including two with only single variables. For the factor analysis, the standard SPSS default modes were employed including varimax rotation, listwise deletion of missing data, and principal components analysis. A 0.50 or higher loading was the criteria used for inclusion on a factor. No variables loaded on more than one factor and all factors are independent.

3 While both major and independent movie houses were initially coded, there were few independents and their presence was highly correlated with major/chain movie theatres. Thus, they were combined for subsequent analysis.