Rural Nebraskans Concerned with Economy

Nebraskans participating in the annual rural poll conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska have concerns with the current state of the economy and believe it will worsen over the next year. Each year researchers at the University of Nebraska conduct the poll asking rural Nebraskans their perceptions on living and working in rural Nebraska. This year participants were asked about the economy, employment, and their well-being. Over 1,100 Nebraskans responded. Findings from the survey include:

• Most respondents believed several economic indicators will worsen over the next 12 months: 87 percent responded inflation and fuel prices will worsen; 86 percent said grocery prices will move higher; and 85 percent thought interest rates would worsen.
• Less than half of the respondents (43 percent) thought their personal financial situation or personal job prospects (22 percent) would worsen.
• Over 60 percent of respondents with household incomes under $40,000 said their personal financial situation will become worse compared to just over 25 percent of persons with the highest household incomes.
• Few persons indicated they are currently making or considering employment changes: 16 percent said they were actively seeking a better paying job; 15 percent were actively looking to change jobs or actively planning to retire or leave the workforce; and 14 percent were planning to retire early or actively seeking a job with flexible arrangements.
• Just over 10 percent indicated they were actively planning to start their own business or self-employment activity.

For more information on the survey go to: https://ruralpoll.unl.edu/report22.

Figure 3. Economic Expectations in the Next 12 Months

Source: Perceptions of the Economy and Employment in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, University of Nebraska, October 2022.

Figure 4. Expectations for Economic Growth in the Next Year

Source: Perceptions of the Economy and Employment in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, University of Nebraska, October 2022.