Progress 08/01/06 to 07/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: All research related to this project is now completed. A total of sixteen presentations have been made within the Nebraska Panhandle, and additional presentations are scheduled for later in 2009. Audiences have ranged in size from 10 to 150 and have included Chambers of Commerce, local governments, community and regional development groups, a regional hospital and interested citizens. Taped and live radio interviews of team members have ranged in length from 3 to 30 minutes, and the research findings have been the subject of numerous news articles and editorials in regional newspapers. In late 2008, findings were presented at a statewide rural development conference attended by approximately 100 people and sponsored by the University of Nebraska. In 2009, findings were presented at the NACDEP meeting in San Diego, California and at the Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society (RSS) in Madison, Wisconsin. With additional funding from the United States Studies Center in Australia, findings were presented at the Heartland Project (HP) Research Workshop titled "Rural Community and Rural Economy Futures" in Hamilton, Australia. What Attracts New Residents and Keeps Them was the title of a Webinar held on November 20th for the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC) "Developing Websites for Community Growth" project. The project is focused on content development, website enhancements, and marketing and has been made available on-line. Findings from the project are part of the reference material produced by that NITC program. Published material has also been placed on-line through the University of Nebraska system. The project has generated one completed Masters degree. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS: Randolph Cantrell, Principal Investigator; Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Co Principal Investigator; Bruce Johnson, Investigator; Rebecca Vogt, Investigator; Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Nebraska Rural Initiative, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension; Nebraska Department of Economic Development; Charlotte Narjes, Student Investigator and M.S. Recipient TARGET AUDIENCES: TARGET AUDIENCES: Nebraska Communities of: Scottsbluff, Chadron, Alliance, Kimball and Sydney, Nebraska; Nebraska Department of Economic Development; Nebraska Rural Institute attendees; NACDEP 2009 attendees; RSS 2009 Attendees; HP Research Workshop 2009 attendees. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
By demonstrating that job creation alone is likely to be an insufficient stimulus for new resident attraction, this study has generated significant interest among development organizations and at least one major employer in the Panhandle region, both of which have struggled with filling what would be generally seen as desirable employment openings. Approaching the community as a product to be actively marketed to potential consumers (new residents) offers a proactive approach to dealing with the growing problem of labor force shortages in even relatively successful rural areas. Development professionals who participated in our Delphi process expressed strong interest in our findings. Nearly three out of five development professionals (59%) reported their communities/regions engaged in some activity directed specifically at recruiting new residents. However, only eight percent said the extent of effort was considerable. Clearly, the process of new-resident recruitment efforts in some organized fashion is still relatively new. As to why new-resident recruitment is rather limited, the community practitioners who were responding to our survey generally said their communities were not giving them a strong mandate to do so. In fact, there appears to be a rather "cool" response to this type of community development activity. The reasons most cited for this were: fear of change to community culture; fear of ethnic diversity; and expected increases in crime and disruption associated with growth. In sum, the issue of change and peoples' perceptions of consequences to change, may be inhibiting many rural areas from meaningful population growth. In today's electronic world of communication, prospective new residents are increasingly using the internet as a key information source in their relocation decisions. However, when asked to assess their own community's current internet presence, only a minority of reporters could rate them high in terms of: effectiveness in new-resident recruitment (22%); the community's commitment of resources to its website (35%); and website's degree of user-friendliness for potential new residents (38%). The state of Nebraska has recognized the importance of the Internet as a recruitment tool, and has instituted a community grant program and is offering training related to the construction of effective community Web pages. The results of this NRI funded research have been featured in developing those programs, and are formally presented at all of these training sessions. Communities in the Nebraska Panhandle report that they have modified their development strategies to include residential recruitment and retention efforts based upon the findings of this project. The Nebraska Information Technology Commission sites this research as part of their project titled "Developing Websites for Community Growth." The project is currently being replicated (in large part) in Australia.
Publications
- "Community Recruitment and Retention of New Residents: A Study Using a Market Assessment" In, On-line Journal of Rural Research & Policy. Spring, 2009.
|
Progress 08/01/07 to 07/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: After completing household surveys and focus groups last year, the team completed a study of community and economic development practitioners. Using an iterative three-phase survey process (Delphi Technique), the team was able to glean important insight into the current and emerging practices for new-resident recruitment and retention. This portion of the study made it clear that development professionals value but do not tend to participate in local residential recruitment and retention programs. This is true not because of lack of interest, but rather because development professionals do not believe that such efforts will receive broad community support. Upon completion of the data gathering phase of the project, research findings were disseminated to a variety of audiences within the study area and greater Nebraska. A total of nine presentations have been made within the Nebraska Panhandle. Audiences ranged in size from 10 to 150 and included Chambers of Commerce, local governments, community and regional development groups and interested citizens. Taped and live radio interviews of team members have ranged in length from 3 to 30 minutes, and the research findings have been the subject of several news articles and editorials in regional newspapers. Findings were also presented at a statewide rural development conference attended by approximately 100 people and sponsored by the University of Nebraska. Published material has been placed on-line through the University of Nebraska system. PARTICIPANTS: Randolph Cantrell, Principal Investigator; Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Co Principal Investigator; Bruce Johnson, Investigator; Rebecca Vogt, Investigator; Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Nebraska Rural Initiative, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension; Nebraska Department of Economic Development; Charlotte Narjes, Student Investigator and M.S. Recipient TARGET AUDIENCES: Nebraska Communities of: Scottsbluff, Chadron, Alliance, Kimball and Sydney, Nebraska; Nebraska Department of Economic Development; Nebraska Rural Institute attendees PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
By demonstrating that job creation alone is likely to be an insufficient stimulus for new resident attraction, this study has generated significant interest among development organizations and at least one major employer in the Panhandle region, both of which have struggled with filling what would be generally seen as desirable employment openings. Approaching the community as a product to be actively marketed to potential consumers (new residents) offers a proactive approach to dealing with the growing problem of labor force shortages in even relatively successful rural areas. Development professionals who participated in our Delphi process expressed strong interest in our findings. Nearly three out of five development professionals (59%) reported their communities/regions engaged in some activity directed specifically at recruiting new residents. However, only eight percent said the extent of effort was considerable. Clearly, the process of new-resident recruitment efforts in some organized fashion is still relatively new. As to why new-resident recruitment is rather limited, the community practitioners who were responding to our survey generally said their communities were not giving them a strong mandate to do so. In fact, there appears to be a rather "cool" response to this type of community development activity. The reasons most cited for this were: fear of change to community culture; fear of ethnic diversity; and expected increases in crime and disruption associated with growth. In sum, the issue of change and peoples' perceptions of consequences to change, may be inhibiting many rural areas from meaningful population growth. In today's electronic world of communication, prospective new residents are increasingly using the internet as a key information source in their relocation decisions. However, when asked to assess their own community's current internet presence, only a minority of reporters could rate them high in terms of: effectiveness in new-resident recruitment (22%); the community's commitment of resources to its website (35%); and website's degree of user-friendliness for potential new residents (38%). The state of Nebraska has recognized the importance of the Internet as a recruitment tool, and has instituted a community grant program and is offering training related to the construction of effective community Web pages. The results of this NRI funded research have been featured in developing those programs, and are formally presented at all of these training sessions. Communities in the Nebraska Panhandle report that they have modified their development strategies to include residential recruitment and retention efforts based upon the findings of this project.
Publications
- Newcomers to the Nebraska Panhandle, Who are They University of Nebraska Center for Applied Rural Innovation, RB07-001, September, 2007. Found at: http://cari.unl.edu/buffalo/documents/WhoAreThey.pdf
- Newcomers to the Nebraska Panhandle, Why Did They Move University of Nebraska Center for Applied Rural Innovation, RB07-002, September, 2007. Found at: http://cari.unl.edu/buffalo/documents/WhyDidTheyMove.pdf
- Newcomers to the Nebraska Panhandle, How Do We Keep Them University of Nebraska Center for Applied Rural Innovation, RB07-003 September, 2007. Found at: http://cari.unl.edu/buffalo/documents/HowDoWeKeepThemHere.pdf
- Community Recruitment and Retention of New Residents, in Cornhusker Economics, January 16, 2008. Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and found at: http://www.agecon.unl.edu/Cornhuskereconomics/2008/1-16-08a.pdf
- Community Vision is Important to New Residents, in Cornhusker Economics, May 28, 2008. Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and found at: http://www.agecon.unl.edu/Cornhuskereconomics/2008/5-28-08.pdf
- Moving to the Rural Great Plains: Point of Origin Differences in the Decision Making Process. Forthcoming in Great Plains Research, Vol. 18,(Fall 2008)
- Understanding the Motivations of People Moving to the Nebraska Panhandle: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study, A thesis by Charlotte Narjes, submitted to the University of Nebraska upon completion of the Master's of Science degree in Agricultural Leadership and Education. August, 2008
|
Progress 08/01/06 to 07/31/07
Outputs
The project team has completed a household survey of new residents in Nebraska's Panhandle, receiving returns from 321 respondents whose households fit our research criterion of having moved to the Panhandle within the last five years. These data demonstrate that new residents bring many assets to the Panhandle region: high levels of education, children, professional occupation skills, entrepreneurial backgrounds, and volunteer and community leadership experience. New residents come from many different locations, arriving from 38 different states. The majority of new residents moved to the Panhandle from a metropolitan county. While one quarter of new residents moved to the Panhandle alone, most brought either a spouse/partner or children with them. A slight majority (54%) of new residents had lived in Nebraska before, almost one third of those (32%) had lived in their current county before and just over one-third (38%) had lived in their current community before.
Still, many new residents (46%) moved to their new locations without any prior experience with Nebraska. New residents rated the high cost of living and urban congestion as the top reasons for leaving their previous community. The top rated reasons newcomers move to their current communities involve community quality of life amenities: to find a simpler pace of life, to find a less congested place to live, and to be closer to relatives. Families cite the better environment in which to raise children and better quality schools as reasons for moving to the Panhandle. Job-related considerations are important factors in the decision to move, but community quality of life amenities can be the factors that ultimately lead persons to choose to move. Most new residents considered other locations before choosing their current location. Many new residents are either not planning to stay in their current community or aren't sure of their plans. Younger persons are more likely than older persons
to be planning to leave or to be unsure of their plans. The feeling of belonging in the community has the strongest relationship with the expectation of staying in the community. These findings provide information that can be of immediate relevance to rural communities. First, it appears not only that new residents can be successfully recruited to communities, but that recruitment strategies are necessary since households actively shop for favorable locations. Second, a sizeable proportion of households seeking new locations see social and natural amenities as being as or more important than economics. Third, attracting new residents carries no guarantee of retaining them, and retention is based in large part upon the newcomers' experience of social capital within their new locations. These survey findings have been supported by a series of 12 focus groups with new Panhandle residents. Data from those meetings are now being transcribed. A partially completed study of development
practitioners in the region (using a Delphi process) indicates that few of them approach resident recruitment or retention from a perspective that households will find most persuasive.
Impacts
By demonstrating that job creation alone is likely to be an insufficient stimulus for new resident attraction, this study has generated significant interest among development organizations and at least one major employer in the Panhandle region, both of which have struggled with filling what would be generally seen as desirable employment openings. Approaching the community as a product to be actively marketed to potential consumers (new residents) offers a proactive approach to dealing with the growing problem of labor force shortages in even relatively successful rural areas. Development professionals who are participating in our Delphi process have expressed strong interest in our findings, and it is reasonable to expect that at least some of their focus will be redirected to targeted, amenity based resident recruitment that goes beyond a simple enumeration of available jobs. The finding that the reported likelihood of remaining in a community is based upon social
as well as economic considerations is being seen as a motivation for communities and development professionals to focus at least part of their attention on strategies for the formation of social capital with new residents. This research, when completed and fully reported, will support new strategies for dealing with local workforce issues in a balanced and more successful way than has been demonstrated by the current "job creation solves everything" mindset.
Publications
- Burkhart-Kriesel C, Cantrell R.,Johnson B., Narjes C, Vogt R. 2007 Today's Buffalo Commons - Not What You Might Expect A project related Web site found at: http://cari.unl.edu/buffalo/
|
|