Survey shows young people in rural Nebraska like small town life

LINCOLN — Five years of data from a student survey coordinated by the Nebraska Community Foundation is available.

The foundation released Monday Cumulative results Annual youth survey conducted since 2020 in partnership with the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Respondents included about 4,000 middle and high school students from 43 schools in cities and towns as small as Diller, with a population of less than 250 people, and as large as Norfolk, with nearly 26,000 residents.

The future of rural Nebraska

Foundation officials said the survey, which spans 270 communities across Nebraska, is designed to better understand the priorities and perspectives of young people who grew up in rural areas and what they want for the future.

One goal, the survey team said, is retaining talent.

UNO CPAR Director Josie Schafer noted that brain drain, where educated professionals leave the state, has been a concern.

But the rate at which Nebraskans are fleeing the state overall—all ages and education levels combined—has slowed, according to the latest U.S. Census data available in 2023. The difference is the same as before, Schaeffer said. Specific and updated brain drain census data will not be available until later this year.

Jeff Yost, president and CEO of the foundation, said he was encouraged by the results of the rural youth survey.

“In our global society, young people have more choices than ever before, but thanks to technology, the opportunities available in our rural communities are also abundant,” he said. “These five years of data show a promising future for our rural hometown and our country.”

Survey Highlights

Key five-year findings from the foundation’s report:

Nearly three-quarters said there was no negative stigma associated with returning or staying where they currently live. Of the students surveyed, 59 percent said they were somewhat or extremely likely to live in the area where they now live as adults. In 2020, 68% of students surveyed said they felt connected to where they lived. Five-year cumulative percentages show 76% report being connected to the community. When asked about their ideal community size, students most often responded “as small as my hometown.” In 2020, 47% of respondents gave this answer, and in the following years, this proportion increased, averaging 55% over five years. When asked to rank the qualities of a desirable neighborhood, students ranked safety from violence at the top of the list. Good schools and closeness to family followed closely for the fifth year in a row.

Shafer said multi-year trends in the Greater Nebraska Youth Survey show that, for the most part, “rural youth do love their communities.”

She said middle school and high school students feel positive about everything their hometown has to offer.

However, respondents stated that job opportunities elsewhere were the main reason for not living in their own communities as adults.

According to a wider 2023 survey, students said they recognized job opportunities in health care and agriculture in their town, but in other areas of interest such as arts, entertainment, tourism, business management, information technology and media .

That’s when “we were worried they might weaken” and look for larger, faster-growing places to boost their economies, Schaefer said.

“Can we guarantee that the brain drain will be reversed? I can’t,” she said. “But the energy and enthusiasm we saw from these young people (who participated in the survey) is a good sign.”

DEI is valued by young people

Shafer said the data gives rural communities a clearer picture of what they’re doing well and where there are opportunities to keep young people among them.

For example, since the survey began in 2020, only 34% of students agreed with the statement “I make a difference in this community.”

Foundation representatives said their affiliates are looking for ways to strengthen connections by giving young people better access to decision-making opportunities.

The foundation said in a news release that the survey highlights the importance of inclusion, equity and diversity — something “students find extremely valuable in where they choose to live in the future.”

Can we guarantee that the brain drain will be reversed? I can’t. But the energy and enthusiasm we see from these young people is a good sign.

– Josie Schafer, Center for Public Affairs Research

The foundation, headquartered in Lincoln, said it has invested an additional $553 million in the people and regions of Nebraska since 1994.

Foundation spokesperson Carrie Malek-Madani said this year’s youth survey was less broad than in previous years, but the accumulation of data over five years was limited to just over 4,000 respondents. She said organizers believed the results were solid and confirmed trends they were seeing early on.

The basic key questions have remained consistent over the years, although some have been added over time.

There are differences in gender and race

foundation Surveyed last year Nearly a thousand students and Overall, the report said, tThe group expressed a positive view of its community. However, when broken down by gender identity, race and ethnicity, the differences are stark. For example, female students reported being less likely to live in their current neighborhood as adults.

The foundation said students of color feel less connected to their communities and are more likely to be bullied and witness someone being treated unfairly in the community because of their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical illness or mental health .

Three-quarters of students said they would take action to stop unfair treatment, and 60% said they were likely to advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Malik-Madani said when the survey began, some people were surprised by how actively attached young people were to their communities.

Conventional wisdom, she said, is that young people in rural areas want to move to bigger places as quickly as possible. “I think there’s been a real shift.”

Young people interviewed consistently cited safety, good schools and proximity to family as aspects of their ideal community, Malik-Madani said.

“The town provides these things,” she said.

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