Not all Ohioans identify as Midwestern
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This might seem shocking, but some Ohioans don't consider themselves Midwesterners.
Why it matters: Many of the world's greatest philosophers, from Socrates to the Mayor of Flavortown, have contemplated the importance of identity.
- What are we? Who are we? Do we have Midwestern vibes?
- There's apparently wide disagreement.
Driving the news: Emerson College Polling and the Middle West Review recently asked 11,000 people from 22 states if they think theirs is part of the Midwest.
Zoom in: Surprisingly, just 78.2% of Ohioans surveyed said they live in the Midwest.
Reality check: We do. The U.S. Census Bureau says so.
- But you don't need to take the government's word for it. These examples from the "Midwest vs. Everybody" page on X (formerly Twitter), just scream Ohioan:
What else they found: The states with the highest percentages of self-proclaiming Midwesterners were Iowa (96.7%), Minnesota (96.5%) and Missouri (95.3%).
The intrigue: Beyond that, things get weird.
- More than half of people in Wyoming, 42% of those in Colorado and even 13% of West Virginians gave themselves the Midwestern label.
- Inexplicably, more than a quarter of Idaho residents think they are in the Midwestern club.
Our take: Iowa? Of course. Kentucky? That's pushing it. But Idaho? To paraphrase Jeb Bush, they've been eating too many Monsanto-laced potatoes.
What they're saying: "I think one of the big findings of this study is that American regions are still alive. And people still identify with regions," Middle West Review editor Jon Lauck tells Axios Des Moines' Linh Ta.
- "Midwestern identity is very strong. I think a lot of people have a sense that it's weaker here or people don't really connect to their states or region as much as, say, the South," Lauck says. "But that is clearly untrue."
🤔 We want to know: Where do you draw the line of the Midwest?
- Email [email protected] and let us know.