September 24, 2002

LINCOLN, Neb. — Quality schools and jobs, personal safety and affordable medical services top the list of community characteristics rural Nebraskans say are essential to their quality of life, according to the Nebraska Rural Poll.

The seventh annual University of Nebraska poll revealed some large differences between what rural residents consider absolutely essential to their quality of life and what's available in their communities.

The broadest gap was in quality jobs and economic opportunities. While 63 percent of respondents rated quality jobs and economic opportunities as absolutely essential, only 6 percent said they were currently present to a great extent in their communities.

A mix of economic, social and environmental issues led the list of essential characteristics. The following characteristics were ranked as absolutely essential by more than half of respondents. The first percent is the proportion of respondents who ranked it as absolutely essential; the second is the percent who said it is present in their community to a great extent: quality schools, 79 percent, 47 percent; sense of personal safety, 77 percent, 42 percent; affordable medical services, 73 percent, 27 percent; quality jobs/economic opportunities, 63 percent, 6 percent; affordable housing, 58 percent, 15 percent; clean attractive natural environment, 58 percent, 43 percent; friendly people, 56 percent, 38 percent; well maintained infrastructure, 55 percent, 20 percent; a sense of community among residents, 51 percent, 28 percent.

"The gap between what's essential and what's there means there are some pieces we need to work on if we're going to maintain community viability and quality of life," said John Allen, the NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources rural sociologist who heads the scientific poll.

Community size also influenced opinions about what is essential and what's available in their community, the poll showed. Residents of smaller communities were more likely to say social dimensions were present in their community to a great extent such as lack of urban congestion, friendly people and a sense of community. Those in larger communities were more likely to say specialized services were available such as college classes, senior citizen programs and affordable medical services.

Allen said the top ranked essential community characteristics represent core attributes that rural Nebraskans say are essential for successful communities. Those working in community development can use this information to devise rural development strategies that build on these attributes.

"From this and our other poll data, I've come to believe that rural Nebraskans are rather frugal in what they believe is essential in their community," Allen said. "They are looking at some core things that are essential without all the bells and whistles that are often seen as important in community development."

For example, less than a quarter of respondents said recreational and cultural opportunities are essential.

Becky Vogt, the poll's manager, said these findings complement earlier poll results that showed people were most satisfied with their schools, medical services and the social dimensions of rural life and least happy with recreation and entertainment options.

"It's encouraging to see that a lot of things that rural Nebraskans say are essential in their communities are things that they typically are satisfied with," she said.

The poll also asked how respondents viewed rural Nebraska in general. Most respondents described it as: having commonly shared values and strong religious beliefs, being work-oriented, self-sufficient, peaceful and tough/resilient, with open spaces, friendly people and a strong sense of family.

Allen said rural residents' description of rural Nebraska also provides insights for communities and rural developers. They might target recruitment and development efforts to people who are most likely to interested in key characteristics such as community, shared values and hard work.

"For smaller places, maybe we need to think about a smaller scale self-development or an entrepreneurial model rather than trying to attract an outside plant to open, Allen said. "Maybe we need to work toward identifying and targeting people with those shared values of self sufficiency and hard work, such as people who want to start their own business."

The scientific survey is mailed in March to randomly selected rural residents in Nebraska's 87 rural counties. This year's results are based on 2,841 responses.

The Nebraska Rural Poll is the largest annual survey of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. It provides a rural perspective to policy and decision makers. This year's response rate was 44 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.

Complete poll results are available online at Nebraska Rural Poll.

The annual poll is conducted by IANR's Center for Applied Rural Innovation with funding from the Partnership for Rural Nebraska and IANR's Cooperative Extension Division and Agricultural Research Division.

09/24/02-VM

Becky Vogt
Center for Applied Rural Innovation
Nebraska Rural Poll Project Manager
(402) 329-4821

John Allen - Ph.D.
Rural Sociology
Professor
(402) 472-1772

Vicki Miller
Research Communications Coordinator
(402) 472-3813

Department: Center for Applied Rural Innovation