The Nebraska Rural Poll has captured snapshots of rural Nebraskans' views since 1996. Now those annual snapshots are creating a broader picture of rural trends, attitudes, opinions and concerns.

John Allen, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources rural sociologist who launched and oversees the poll, is proud that it gives context to policy-makers and has earned credibility.

But "giving a voice to rural Nebraskans" is its most important contribution, he said. Others who use results of this University of Nebraska poll agree.

"The poll allows us to put a human face on ... rural Nebraska," said Don Macke, Nebraska Rural Development Commission director. "It helps us decide what issues to work on."

Lee Sander, administrative program director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development division in Lincoln, said: "The polls help us get a more realistic picture of rural Nebraska."

Jenne Rodriguez, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development's director of housing and community development, praises the poll's "good, solid research" and its unique queries on quality-of-life issues.

The poll is the largest annual scientific survey of rural Nebraskans' quality of life. Each spring, NU's Center for Rural Community Revitalization and Development mails about 7,000 questionnaires to randomly selected households in towns and the country in Nebraska's 87 rural counties. Response has increased from 2,754 in 1996 to 4,196 in 1998.

The poll surveys rural Nebraskans' well-being every year. Public and private sector advisers suggest other questions to glean rural opinions on major, timely issues, Allen said.

More than 200 people, including all Nebraska state legislators, receive poll results and assessments. Researchers analyze and report results quickly to assure they're timely.

For example, the 1998 poll revealed mixed rural views about large hog operations. Without the poll's scientific data, people would be merely guessing about rural opinions on this controversial issue, Allen said.

Another example is the poll finding showing rural residents' increased willingness to pay a greater share of property taxes to support their public schools, Allen said.

Allen has presented poll findings before Unicameral committees because lawmakers recognize poll results reflect rural views on public issues.

Three years of results show rural Nebraskans' core values - marriage, family, religion, spirituality, friends and community - remained the same or strengthened. Findings show rural residents consider their communities friendly, trusting and supportive.

"There's always been a perception that rural life was romanticized, that there really wasn't a high quality of life out there," Allen said. "Our data shows that's not the case."

Three-year results also show increasing optimism among many rural residents. The number of respondents saying they'll be better off in 10 years increased 10 percent. The proportion who believe they'll be worse off declined 15 percent.

However, farmers and ranchers are increasingly less optimistic about their present and future than other rural Nebraskans. Over three years, the number of farmers and ranchers who believed they'd be better off in 10 years declined 6 percent.

Policy-makers can use results to guide economic or agricultural policies that could improve farmers' and ranchers' quality of life and encourage young Nebraskans to follow in their parents' occupational footsteps, Allen said.

Allen interprets the poll's overall trends as proof of rural Nebraska's strong social fabric. In the 1998 poll, only 3 percent of respondents said they planned to move and 62 percent of those said they planned to stay in Nebraska.

"I'm becoming more convinced these people are more resilient than ever," he said.

The annual poll is conducted in cooperation with the Partnership for Rural Nebraska and IANR's Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Research divisions.

- Molly Klocksin

Nebraska Rural Poll results indicate that the number of rural Nebraskans who believe they'll be better off in 10 years increased 10 percent over the last three years while the proportion who believe they'll be worse off declined 15 percent.