Growing pessimism is found in the latest annual poll of rural Nebraskans

LINCOLN — There’s increased pessimism about the present and future of rural Nebraska, according to the latest Rural Poll conducted by a wing of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The poll, now in its 28th year, found that 27 percent of respondents indicated that they are worse off today than five years ago, which is an increase from 21 percent last year and 11 percent in 2021.

It was the highest level of pessimistic responses since 2009, when 28 percent believed they were worse off.

L.J. McElravy, an associate professor of agricultural at UNL, said he was expecting more optimistic responses given that disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have now passed.

“However, I still see signs of hope, as we continue to see higher levels of optimism in relation to pessimism,” McElravy said.

While rural Nebraskans’ optimism about the future has trended downward over the past four years, there were still more respondents who felt they were better off now than five years ago (45 percent), than respondents who felt they were worse off now (27 percent).

There were also more respondents who feel they will be better off in 10 years (39 percent) than those who believe they will be worse off (27 percent).

Younger people, as well as those with higher household incomes and levels of education, tend to be more optimistic about their current and future well being, pollsters said.

They attributed the trend toward pessimism to perceptions about the economy, even though only about a quarter of respondents said they expect significant increases in prices, inflation and interest rates this year. About half of respondents last year said they saw steep hikes in prices ahead.

Most rural Nebraskans who responded to the poll described their mental health or emotional well-being as good (55 percent) or excellent (28 percent), which was slightly higher than national figures.

But more respondents felt that they were powerless to control their own lives — 34 percent compared to 24 percent in 2019.

The Rural Poll gauges rural Nebraskans’ perceptions about policy and quality of life.

Questionnaires were mailed to more than 6,000 households this spring and summer, with 1,100 households responding from 86 of the state’s 93 counties. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics conducts the poll.