Optimism in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions of Well-Being, 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

This year, rural Nebraskans are the most positive about their current situation as they’ve been in all 20 years of this study. Just over one-half (53%) of rural Nebraskans believe they are better off than they were five years ago (the highest proportion in all 20 years of this study, tied in 2008). This is up slightly from 50 percent last year. And, rural Nebraskans’ outlook on their future is the most optimistic in all 20 years of this study. Almost one-half of rural Nebraskans (48%) believe they will be better off ten years from now (the highest of all 20 years). This is up slightly from 44 percent last year. In addition, rural Nebraskans are less likely to agree that people are powerless to control their own lives than they were last year. Certain groups remain pessimistic about their situation. Persons with lower household incomes, older persons, and persons with lower educational levels are the groups most likely to be pessimistic about the present and the future. Persons living in or near the largest communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to be optimistic about the future

Perspectives on Community Life in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska

Population losses are an ongoing problem in rural counties. This loss leads to many issues faced by rural communities such as funding public services, business transition and retention, recruiting new residents, an aging population base as well as many others. Given these challenges, how do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided by their community? Are they planning to move from their community in the next year? Have these views changed over the past twenty years? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,991 responses to the 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll, the twentieth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their community. Trends for some of the questions are examined by comparing data from the nineteen previous polls to this year’s results. In addition, comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc. Based on these analyses, some key findings emerged

Community Satisfaction and Marketing in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Conclusion By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions: as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans say it would be difficult to leave their community. And, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future. Across all years of this study, rural Nebraskans’ views about the change in their community have generally been positive. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better during the past year has usually been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the worse, especially during the past five years when the gap between the two has widened. In addition, rural Nebraskans’ optimism about the expected change in their community ten years from now has increased during the past six years. Some differences in residents’ evaluations of their community exist 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, will be a better place to live ten years from now and disagree that their community is powerless to control its own future. However, residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents oflarger communities to say it would be difficult to leave 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 across all 20 years of the study. Declines in satisfaction levels across all 20 years are seen with nursing home care, medical care services, senior centers, mental health services, entertainment, retail shopping and restaurants. Only six percent of rural Nebraskans indicate they are planning to move from their community in the next year. Of those who are planning to move, just under one-half plan to leave Nebraska. When asked to rate their community to a potential newcomer, most rural Nebraskans would rate the safety, the environment for raising children and the natural/outdoor environment of their community as excellent. And, at least four in ten rural Nebraskans would rate the church/religious community and friendliness or supportiveness of neighbors as excellent. Over two in ten rural Nebraskans would rate their local taxes as poor to a person looking to move to their community. Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to rate the following characteristics as excellent to a newcomer: environment for raising children, the natural/outdoor environment, sense of community among residents, and cost of living. Other items are more likely to be rated as excellent by persons living in or near larger communities: church/religious community; available outdoor recreational opportunities; civic and nonprofit organizations; arts, entertainment and cultural activities; and available child care services. Most rural Nebraskans rate themselves as having conservative political views on both economic and social issues. They also rate their community’s political views on both economic and social views as conservative. In fact, they view their community’s political views on social issues as more conservative than their own

Housing in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions of Supply and Condition: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Conclusion Most rural Nebraskans own their home. And, when asked about housing programs or priorities they would support in their community, most rural Nebraskans support programs that help seniors age in their homes, programs that would help upgrade the condition of existing homes and providing affordable rental housing. They are less likely to support organizing volunteer efforts to maintain existing housing stock, but still one-half support this option as well. Support for one of the programs differs by community size. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to support providing affordable rental housing in their community. Otherwise, residents of communities of all sizes support the programs or priorities listed. Age differences are also found. Younger persons are more likely than older persons to support the following programs or priorities: establishing a local program that would purchase and remove dilapidated houses and build new homes available for purchase; purchasing, rehabilitating and reselling vacant housing; providing down payment assistance to first-time home buyers; and providing affordable rental housing. However, older persons are more likely than younger persons to support developing programs to help seniors age in their current home. While many rural Nebraskans feel the construction of new homes in their community is adequate, most believe there are not enough quality homes available for rent nor enough quantity of homes available for rent. Many also believe there are not enough existing homes available for purchase, apartments available for rent, quality apartments available for rent or quality homes available for purchase. Persons living in or near smaller communities and Research Report 16-5 of the Nebraska Rural Poll Page 11 persons living in the North Central region are both most likely to say their community does not have enough of all of the housing options listed

Optimism in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions of Well-Being

Nebraska farm income decreased nearly 35 percent from 2014 to 2013. This resulted in Nebraska being the only state in the country to experience a drop in per capita personal income last year. However, hourly earnings in manufacturing have increased in 2015 compared to last year. Given the challenges and uncertainties of recent years, how do rural Nebraskans believe they are doing and how do they view their future? How satisfied are they with various items that influence their well-being? Have these views changed over the past twenty years? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,991 responses to the 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll, the twentieth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their wellbeing. Trends for some of the questions are examined by comparing data from the nineteen previous polls to this year’s results. In addition, comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc. Based on these analyses, some key findings emerged

Engagement in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Civic and Political Participation and Views of Community Leadership

Trends have consistently shown that the population in nonmetropolitan counties is decreasing as a proportion of the total population of the state. These trends have the potential to significantly impact two areas of rural community sustainability, effective community leadership and community involvement. Rural communities rely on volunteers for many community development activities as well as local leadership positions. In smaller communities in particular, reduced populations requires community members to take on multiple roles. Rural Nebraskans are aware of the importance of good community leadership when faced with such issues. Most rural Nebraskans rated effective community leadership as absolutely essential for successful communities in last year’s Rural Poll. However, if the current trends continue, rural citizens will not only have less representation in both state and national government, but could also have to rely more heavily on fewer citizens’ involvement in community and political activities in order to address some of the issues they are facing. Given these trends and challenges, how involved are rural Nebraskans in community and political activities? Are they currently registered to vote and how frequently do they vote? How do they feel about the leadership in their community? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,991 responses to the 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll, the twentieth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their community involvement and community leadership. Comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc. Based on these analyses, some key findings emerged

Engagement in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Civic and Political Participation and Views of Community Leadership

Trends have consistently shown that the population in nonmetropolitan counties is decreasing as a proportion of the total population of the state. These trends have the potential to significantly impact two areas of rural community sustainability, effective community leadership and community involvement. Rural communities rely on volunteers for many community development activities as well as local leadership positions. In smaller communities in particular, reduced populations requires community members to take on multiple roles. Rural Nebraskans are aware of the importance of good community leadership when faced with such issues. Most rural Nebraskans rated effective community leadership as absolutely essential for successful communities in last year’s Rural Poll. However, if the current trends continue, rural citizens will not only have less representation in both state and national government, but could also have to rely more heavily on fewer citizens’ involvement in community and political activities in order to address some of the issues they are facing. Given these trends and challenges, how involved are rural Nebraskans in community and political activities? Are they currently registered to vote and how frequently do they vote? How do they feel about the leadership in their community? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,991 responses to the 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll, the twentieth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their community involvement and community leadership. Comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc. Based on these analyses, some key findings emerged

Media, Institutions and Voting: Perceptions of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Conclusion Rural Nebraskans most trust information received from local news sources (TV and newspapers) and public sources (PBS and public radio). They least trust information from social networking sites and Internet blogs. Most rural Nebraskans are somewhat or very confident in their ability to recognize news that is made up. Most rural 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). On the other hand, over one-quarter of rural Nebraskans have very little confidence in the following national institutions: U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and the Presidency and executive branch of government. Most rural Nebraskans support early voting, requiring all voters to provide photo identification at their polling place in order to cast a ballot and automatic voter registration. Almost one-half support online voter registration. Most rural Nebraskans believe both votes being cast by people not eligible to vote and eligible voters not being allowed to cast a vote were either a minor or major problem in last year’s election. Over one-third of rural Nebraskans believe votes being cast by people not eligible to vote was a major problem. Over four in ten believe it was a minor problem. Fewer rural Nebraskans perceive eligible voters not being allowed to cast a vote as a problem. Two in ten believe this was a major problem and just under four in ten think it was a minor problem

Broadband and Mobile Internet Services in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska

A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that home broadband adoption has plateaued in the United States. In addition, there has been an increase in adults who use a smartphone to access the Internet but do not have traditional broadband service in their home. Given these national trends, how do rural Nebraskans access the Internet? Are they accessing the Internet from their cell phones? Are they subscribing to high-speed Internet services at home? How satisfied are they with their Internet services? How important do they feel Internet access is for various items? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,746 responses to the 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll, the 21st annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about Internet services. Comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc

Climate and Energy: Opinions of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll Results

Many rural Nebraskans are concerned about more severe droughts or longer dry periods in their area, insect-borne diseases like West Nile Virus, and more extreme summer temperatures in their area. Fewer rural Nebraskans are concerned about the availability of water for their community or home or more frequent extreme rains or floods. Residents of the North Central region are more likely than residents of other regions of the state to be concerned about more severe droughts or longer dry periods in their area. Few rural Nebraskans reported their household experiencing health problems during the drought of 2012. However, many persons with occupations in agriculture experienced increased anxiety or stress during the latest drought. Similarly, many rural Nebraskans do not believe climate change is harming their health or members of their family’s health now. However, opinions are mixed on whether or not that will happen within the next 25 years. Most rural Nebraskans believe the state should develop a plan for adapting to climate change in order to reduce its impact on agriculture, rural communities, forestry and natural resources. And, most rural Nebraskans agree that the University of Nebraska should be helping agricultural producers, rural communities and others to adapt to climate change. Younger persons are more likely than older persons to agree that Nebraska should develop a plan for adapting to climate change in order to reduce its impact on agriculture, rural communities, forestry and natural resources. Most rural Nebraskans received information relating to climate change from mainstream news sources (the newspaper, television, or the radio) over the past year. Many also received information from an article or story they found on the Internet. When asked how much they trust various sources of information about climate change and its potential impacts, though, most rural Nebraskans trust expert sources such as University of Nebraska experts, scientists in general, and doctors and other public health experts. Many rural Nebraskans also trust television weather reporters, state agencies, environmental organizations and federal agencies. Most rural Nebraskans distrust social media and online blogs and podcasts as sources of information about climate change. And many rural Nebraskans distrust the mainstream news media as well as radio talk show hosts. When asked about energy sources for the state, most rural Nebraskans agree that more should be done to develop solar or wind energy as well as ethanol or biodiesel energy in Nebraska. Furthermore, when asked about future investments for various sources of electrical energy, most rural Nebraskans believe Nebraska should invest more in wind and solar energy over the next several years. Most rural Nebraskans believe the level of investment in coal should be the same over the next several years. And, many rural Nebraskans believe the level of investment in nuclear energy should also remain the same. Given the support for various renewable energy sources, it is not surprising that most rural Nebraskans have undertaken various energy conservation projects on their current home, including: purchased fluorescent or LED light bulbs; purchased more energy-efficient appliances; sealed air leaks around windows and/or doors; upgraded insulation, windows or doors in the home; and purchased a more energy-efficient air conditioner, water heater or furnace. In addition, many rural Nebraskans have installed motion sensor light switches or programmable thermostat as well as purchased a more fuel-efficient vehicle