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Poll finds rural Nebraskans more optimistic this year
Nebraska
Rural Nebraskans are more optimistic about the future than they were a year ago, according to this year's Nebraska Rural Poll.
Thirty-six percent of respondents to this year's University of Nebraska poll said they are better off than they were five years ago, up from 27 percent in 2003. The percentage who said they are worse off than five years ago dropped to 23 percent from 30 percent a year ago. The remaining 41 percent of respondents said they were about the same as five years ago, down from 43 percent in 2003.
Looking to the future, 37 percent of rural Nebraskans surveyed said they expect to be better off in 10 years, up from 31 percent in 2003. The proportion who think they will be worse off in 10 years dropped to 23 percent from 26 percent last year.
An improving state economy probably is one factor in the more optimistic view, said Randy Cantrell, and university Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources sociologist who helps conduct the scientific poll. Getting some distance from the 9/11 attacks is another.
"In 2003, I think we saw some fallout from the 9/11 attacks," he said. "There are some indications the economy has improved a bit."
Over the nine years of the annual survey of rural Nebraskans, approximately 36 percent of respondents said they were better off than five years ago, and the same percentage said they expect to be better off in 10 years.
"We've had a couple of blips along the way but this is right back in line with what the well-being percentages have been," said Becky Vogt, project manager for the poll.
Farmers and ranchers were significantly more positive this year than last. This year, 37 percent of farmers and ranchers said they were better off than five years ago, compared with 19 percent a year earlier. And 38 percent said they expect to be better off in 10 years, up slightly from 34 percent in 2003. Farmers and ranchers also were the occupational group most likely to say they expect to be the same 10 years from now.
"Agriculture is not a work that's conducive to blind optimism," Cantrell said. "Any farmer or rancher knows a good year is likely to be followed by a bad and vice versa. That's conducive to middle-of-the-road thinking."
There were other significant occupational differences. More than half of people with professional, technical or administrative jobs said they were better off than five years ago and expect to be in 10 years. Thirty-five percent of manual laborers said they were better off than five years ago while 45 percent expect to be in 10 years.
Only 39 percent of manual laborers were satisfied with their current income while nearly half were dissatisfied, compared with 62 percent satisfaction and 32 percent dissatisfaction among professional, technical or administrative workers.
This year's poll continued to show that education and income are keys to well-being and feelings of empowerment, Cantrell said.
"Where we see people get really optimistic or less pessimistic is when they make more money. That's clearly a straight line progression," Cantrell said. "And education is directly related to well-being."
More than half of respondents without a high school education agreed people are powerless to control their lives and 22 percent disagreed. Among people with four-year college degree, views were reversed--20 percent agreed and 72 percent disagreed.
"The message here is stay in school. We've seen this year in and year out. Education really does affect your reality, your quality of life and your outlook," he said. "If you're uneducated, your choices in life are limited."
The poll also annually asks rural Nebraskans about their satisfaction with various aspects of their lives. As in the past, their marriages, families, friends, and religion and spirituality were tops in satisfaction. Again, respondents were most dissatisfied with financial security during retirement, job opportunities and current income.
"Anytime you work with a rural community and ask what makes the place desirable, they tick off all these things," Cantrell said. "What keeps them there are the quality of life, the family ties and the social network."
Over the years, poll results have indicated rural Nebraskans are willing to make financial sacrifices to enjoy the close-knit social dimensions of rural life, Vogt said.
"The question is at what point will the financial considerations outweigh the other reasons for staying and force them to leave," Vogt said. "That's a concern."
Surveys were mailed in February and March to 6,300 randomly selected households in Nebraska's 84 rural counties. Results are based on 2,915 responses. The scientific poll is the largest annual survey of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. This year's response rate was 47 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.
Complete results are available online at http://cari.unl.edu/ruralpoll.htm.
The poll is conducted by the university's Center for Applied Rural Innovation with funding from the Partnership for Rural Nebraska and IANR's Cooperative Extension Division and Agricultural Research Division.
Date: 9/23/04
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