People often say Washington, D.C., is another world, removed in many ways from the rest of the country. Elected officials, especially those who have served a long time, often seem isolated from the realities that many of their constituents face. With the growth of the scope and power of the federal government, economic development in the region surrounding Washington is recession-proof.

A recent Gallup poll supports the notion that Washington is in something of a bubble and insulated from much of the rest of America. The Gallup survey gauging the economic outlook of residents around the country found that when it comes to economic confidence, residents of Washington, D.C., stick out for the contrast to attitudes found elsewhere in the country.

The Gallup poll, conducted over the first six months of 2011, found a plus-11 score for economic confidence in Washington, D.C. The next-highest rankings were a negative-13 in North Dakota and negative-16 in Nebraska.

Over the past year, North Dakota often has been described as having the best economy in the United States because of its booming energy sector. And strong agricultural prices have brought good times to farm states of the Midwest. Yet, Washington’s government-fueled economy beats them all.

When the survey asked residents whether the economy was getting better or worse, a majority of residents in every state said worse. Among residents of Washington, D.C., the results were reversed, with 60 percent saying the economy was getting better. As a side note, the survey results revealed that not a single person surveyed in Washington was unemployed.

A similar survey by Gallup on job creation in the first six months of the year ranked Washington, D.C., second to only North Dakota.

One critique of the survey’s findings noted that “the one and only place in America where anyone has any confidence in the economy happens to be Washington, D.C., home to political elites, the media that cover them, the people who win the relevant contracts and the people who feather their nests lobbying for laws that impact the other United States of America.”

Visitors to Washington can’t help but notice the many high-profile corporate office buildings along the interstates, with defense contractors, high-technology firms and other major corporations putting their logos on impressive office buildings.

As the center of political power, Washington is home to thousands of lobbyists and special-interest groups that focus their attention and campaign contributions on members of Congress. The nearly constant fundraising required, especially for members of the House of Representatives who face election every two years, creates an atmosphere that exists almost nowhere else.

With the federal government proving to be a recession-proof growth industry, most of the population around Washington lives in something of a protective bubble. Marketing data support this view, with the D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia and Maryland boasting high incomes and low unemployment.

Given all this, it’s hardly surprising that people in Washington, D.C., including elected officials, don’t seem to feel the same sense of urgency about the economy as most of the rest of the country. The Gallup poll also supports the view that many people around the country have of Washington being out of touch.

There is not much that can be done about this other than moving the nation’s capital to a different city every 10 years so the economic benefits don’t become entrenched around Washington. That won’t happen, so the next- best thing is to understand the problem and try to reduce the influence of special interests.