Agricultural Economics Department

 

Date of this Version

2015

Document Type

Article

Citation

Nebraska Rural Poll, CARI Research Report (July 2015) 15-1, 20 pages

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Also available at https://ruralpoll.unl.edu/pdf/15wellbeing.pdf

Abstract

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.

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