Presidential Debates: Whats Behind the Numbers?

Because they attract large audiences, generate interest in the campaign, help voters understand their choices in the upcoming election, forecast governance, increase the likelihood that voters will cast a vote for the preferred candidate rather than against the opponent, moderate some of the campaigns' tendencies to exaggerate and, in a close contest, may affect an election's outcome, presidential debates have become a centerpiece of presidential general elections in the United States.BackgroundAlthough audience data have tracked trends in presidential general election debate viewership over the years, they often fail to reveal how much and how many of the debates people actually watch. More importantly, these figures don't provide insight into why people do or do not watch the debates. Using multiple research methods, this Annenberg Public Policy Center white paper draws on detailed Nielsen viewership data, a national survey, and a set of focus groups with debate viewers to answer these questions

Promoting Economic Development with Tourism in Rural Communities: Destination Image and Motivation to Return or Recommend

Improving tourism is one means Extension professionals and other community stakeholders can use to build rural economic resiliency. The research reported in this article evaluates what motivates tourists to visit and how they perceive of Wisconsin\u27s Kickapoo Valley as a destination. Data are drawn from surveys collected from out-of-town visitors. Results show the motivation to find excitement and adventure, the perception that the area is clean and hospitable, and whether visitors have been to the area more than once significantly affect their likelihood of returning to or recommending the area. Recommendations for how Extension professionals might use these findings are discussed

Students’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Dairy Production: A Survey Methodology Report

This report presents findings from a pilot survey conducted among undergraduate and graduate students (N = 410) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln about students’ perspectives on technology usage, consumption, and sustainability in dairy production systems. An interdisciplinary research team developed the survey instrument and report. The main purpose of this pilot study was to create and administer survey items to support further research on experiential education and outreach opportunities related to robotics in small-scale dairy production and rural economic development. Descriptive findings indicated that most students had some familiarity with dairy production and the nutritional aspects of dairy products but expressed a desire to learn more. The majority of participants agreed that “The sustainability of our food system is important to me personally.” Among three statements about technology usage in dairy production, the statement “technology will improve the livelihoods of people working in agriculture” received the highest mean score, indicating that students largely agreed with this statement. Regarding animal welfare, students believed that caretakers should ensure the health of dairy cows. Many indicated that they think small dairy farms can be financially viable. Notably, most students agreed with the statement “I enjoy learning through immersive experiences (hands-on or virtual reality).” Half of the students expressed a high or moderate level of interest in agricultural-related careers, 80 percent showed a high or moderate interest in technology-related careers, and 82 percent demonstrated a high or moderate interest in careers in sustainability

When Science Journalism is Awesome: Measuring Audiences’ Experiences of awe from Reading Science Stories

In collaboration with professional science journalists, we conducted a national online survey (N = 2,088) to explore facets of awe as potential response states to science journalism and how audiences’ dispositional science curiosity may influence these response states. Our science journalist collaborators identified several “awe-inducing” articles as well as a “business-as-usual” article to use in the survey, and we measured participants’ experiences of awe using the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S). We replicated the factor structure of the AWE-S and found that participants’ generally experienced greater awe from reading the “awe-inducing” science articles compared to the “business-asusual” one. Only partial support for the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects model was found. Although we found that greater science curiosity predicted greater awe reactions to science journalism, science curiosity did not moderate the relationship between type of article read and experiences of awe. Together, these results demonstrate that audiences can experience awe from reading science journalism and the AWE-S is a good way to capture this emotion for media psychology research

Trust in Media, Institutions, and Health Information in Metropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Metro Poll Results

Overall, most metropolitan Nebraskans have confidence in their local institutions (public safety agencies in their community, public schools in their community, and voting and election systems in their county). However, many have very little confidence in many national institutions (the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Presidency) as well as the Governor. Metropolitan Nebraskans most trust information received from friends/family/ acquaintances, local news sources (TV and newspapers), public sources (PBS and public radio) and state newspapers. They least trust information from social networking sites, Internet blogs, and Fox News. Most metropolitan Nebraskans trust local health professionals for reliable information on the coronavirus. Over nine in ten trust their doctor or other health care professional either some or a lot and just over three-quarters trust their local health department for reliable information on the coronavirus. At least seven in ten trust the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state public health officials. Most metropolitan Nebraskans favor having health professionals being the primary authority for public health decisions. Just over four in ten support having local health departments being the primary authority for public health decisions while one-third favor having state health departments as the primary authority. Less than one in ten metropolitan Nebraskans think either local or state government should be the primary authority for public health decisions

Life in Nonmetropolitan Nebraskan Communities: 2021 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Rural Nebraskans are less positive about the current change and expected future change in their communities this year. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better has typically been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the worse. However, this year the proportion believing their community changed for the worse was slightly more than the proportion believing it had changed for the better (similar to what occurred in 2003 and 2009). The proportion viewing positive change in their community sharply declined from last year. The proportion believing their community has stayed the same increased sharply. Despite that, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community by many different measures. Most rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions, as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community and have a positive attachment to their community. Finally, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future. Differences in perceptions of their community are evident by community size. Residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of smaller communities to say their community has changed for the better during the past year and will be a better place to live ten years from now. However, persons living in or near the smallest communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. And, persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to get what they need in their community. However, persons living in or near the smallest communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to have an attachment to their community. Except for some services that are largely unavailable in rural communities, rural Nebraskans are generally satisfied with basic community services and amenities. However, the proportion of rural Nebraskans satisfied with many social services and entertainment services has decreased during the past 20 years. Declines in satisfaction levels across the past 20 years occur with nursing home care, medical care services, senior centers, mental health services and retail shopping. Some rural Nebraskans say that transgender people, gays and lesbians, recent immigrants to the U.S. and liberals are discriminated against in their community

Impacts of the Pandemic for Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans [Research Brief]

Provides a synopsis of the report on impacts of the pandemic for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan Nebraskans by Nebraska Rural Poll researchers. Includes details about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, health and economic impacts experienced during the pandemic from the 2021 metro and rural polls, the extent elements of life were affected or disrupted by the pandemic, frequency of working from home, changes in consumer habits during the pandemic, the likelihood of making consumer choices going forward, and the limitations of home internet service. The Nebraska Rural Poll sampled residents from non-metropolitan counties and regional trade centers in the state. The Nebraska Metro Poll sampled the seven counties that comprise the Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan areas. Both polls sent four mailings regarding or containing the surveys in the spring of 2021 and had an online response option

Impacts of the Pandemic in Metropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Metro Poll Results

Most metropolitan Nebraskans felt various impacts from the pandemic. While many metropolitan Nebraskans had someone in their household that quarantined because of possible coronavirus exposure or who contracted COVID-19, most have friends or family in their community that quarantined or contracted the virus. Many metropolitan Nebraskans also have friends or family both inside and outside their community who were hospitalized as a result of COVID-19. Most metropolitan Nebraskans say the following were affected a fair amount or a great deal by the pandemic: their socialization with others, their life overall, their company/ workplace and their mental health. Conversely, most rural Nebraskans say their physical health and their financial health were either not at all impacted or not much. Some groups were more likely to report having these aspects of their lives affected by the pandemic. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to say the following items were affected at least a fair amount by the pandemic: their life overall, their mental health and their socialization with others. Work patterns were also impacted. While 14 percent of employed metropolitan Nebraskans worked from home some of the time before the coronavirus outbreak, this increased to 53 percent when they took the survey in the spring and early summer. If they had a choice after the outbreak, almost six in ten would like to work from home at least some of the time. Various economic impacts were also felt by metropolitan Nebraskans. Just over two in ten metropolitan Nebraskans say someone in their household had a loss of income during the past year, 19 percent had someone receive paid time off from their employer if a person in the household was infected with COVID-19, 17 percent said someone in the household had their hours reduced and 16 percent said someone in the household increased their income. More of these impacts were seen in their community. Almost four in ten metropolitan Nebraskans had friends or family in their community who had a loss of income, had their hours reduced or were temporarily laid off. Just over one-quarter had friends or family in their community that changed jobs. Certain groups are more likely to have experienced these economic impacts. Persons with the lowest household incomes are more likely than persons with higher incomes to say someone in their household experienced a loss of income in the past year. And, the youngest persons were the age group most likely to say someone in their household lost their job, changed jobs and increased their income. Consumer habits were also impacted. Many metropolitan Nebraskans did the following items more often during the pandemic: used videoconferencing to visit with friends or relatives (67%), had food from a restaurant delivered or used curbside pickup (66%), shopped online (other than groceries) (48%), had groceries delivered or used curbside pickup (42%) and used curbside pickup at a store (other than groceries) (41%). And, most metropolitan Nebraskans report being likely to order food from a restaurant for delivery or curbside pickup, shop online (other than groceries), use self-service banking options and use videoconferencing to visit with friends or relatives going forward . Many also say it will be likely for them to order groceries by delivery or curbside pickup, use curbside pickup at a store (other than groceries) and to have a virtual visit with a doctor. Not many metropolitan Nebraskans report significant limitations from their home Internet service on their ability to do various activities, such as work at home or participate in online K – 12 learning. Less than one in ten report being limited significantly or not being able to do each of the activities listed. However, persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to say their Internet service at least significantly limits their ability to engage in each of the activities listed

Impacts of the Pandemic in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Most rural Nebraskans felt various impacts from the pandemic. While many rural Nebraskans had someone in their household that quarantined because of possible coronavirus exposure or who contracted COVID-19, most have friends or family in their community that quarantined or contracted the virus. Many rural Nebraskans also have friends or family both inside and outside their community who were hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 or who died as a result of it. Most rural Nebraskans say the following were affected a fair amount or a great deal by the pandemic: their socialization with others, their life overall, and their company/workplace. Conversely, most rural Nebraskans say their physical health, their financial health and their mental health were either not at all impacted or not much. Some groups were more likely to report having these aspects of their lives affected by the pandemic. Residents of the Northeast region are more likely than persons living in other regions of the state to say the following aspects have been impacted at least a fair amount by the pandemic: their life overall, their mental health, and their physical health. And, persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to say the following items were affected at least a fair amount by the pandemic: their life overall, their mental health, their physical health, their financial health and their socialization with others. Work patterns were also impacted. While 16 percent of employed rural Nebraskans worked from home some of the time before the coronavirus outbreak, this increased to 28 percent when they took the survey in the spring and early summer. If they had a choice after the outbreak, just over one-third would like to work from home at least some of the time. Various economic impacts were also felt by rural Nebraskans. Two out of ten rural Nebraskans say someone in their household had a loss of income during the past year, 16 percent said someone in the household had their hours reduced and 16 percent had someone receive paid time off from their employer if a person in the household was infected with COVID-19. More of these impacts were seen in their community. Almost one-third of rural Nebraskans had friends or family in their community who had a loss of income or had their hours reduced. Almost three in ten had friends or family in their community that reduced the hours of operation of their business and just over one-quarter had friends or family in their community that were temporarily laid off. Certain groups are more likely to have experienced these economic impacts. Persons with the lowest household incomes are more likely than persons with higher incomes to say someone in their household experienced the following in the past year: were temporarily laid off, lost their job, and had hours reduced. And, persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to say friends or family in their community experienced many of the items listed: were temporarily laid off, lost their job, changed jobs, retired early, had hours reduced, had a loss of income and returned to work after being laid off temporarily. However, persons living in or near the smallest communities are the group most likely to say friends or family in their community closed a business. Consumer habits were also impacted. Many rural Nebraskans engaged in the following activities more often during the pandemic: had food from a restaurant delivered or used curbside pickup (44%), used videoconferencing to visit with friends or relatives (44%), shopped online (other than groceries) (38%), and had groceries delivered or used curbside pickup (34%). And, most rural Nebraskans report being likely to shop online (other than groceries) and use self-service banking options going forward. Many also say it will be likely for them to videoconference with friends/relatives, order food from a restaurant for delivery or curbside pickup and to order groceries by delivery or curbside pickup. Not many rural Nebraskans report significant limitations from their home Internet service on their ability to do various activities, such as work at home or participate in online K – 12 learning. Less than one in ten report being limited significantly or not being able to do each of the activities listed

Life in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Nebraskan Communities [Research Brief]

Provides a synopsis of the report on life in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan Nebraskan communities by Nebraska Rural Poll researchers. Includes details about community change, community social attributes, community powerlessness, satisfaction with community services and amenities, attachment to the community, discrimination in the community, plans to leave the community, and individual and community political views. The Nebraska Rural Poll sampled residents from non-metropolitan counties and regional trade centers in the state. The Nebraska Metro Poll sampled the seven counties that comprise the Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan areas. Both polls sent four mailings regarding or containing the surveys in the spring of 2021 and had an online response option