Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Rural communities in Minnesota and the local, regional and state leaders who set and implement policy and programs affecting the future of rural communities. Changes/Problems:The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic severely interrupted the qualitative data collection we planned for this project. The rate of COVID-19 infections in Greater Minnesota, new rules about in-person data collection at the University of Minnesota, and barriers to appropriate technologies among residents that would allow virtual focus groups to occur have all contributed to slower data collection than we anticipated. We eventually collected data from 11 focus groups and four interviews, across three different languages, including English, Spanish and Somali, but conducted some of the focus groups online and conducted all of the interviews on the telephone. We anticipated completing 12 focus groups, but with the difficulties associated with convening in person and challenges faced by many around technology access (e.g., Zoom) we completed four individual interviews in Spanish with recent movers to rural Minnesota in lieu of a twelfth focus group. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In 2021, 29 presentations were delivered in Minnesota and other states, with content informed by study findings. Extension educators incorporated findings from this research into presentations about rural demographics, establishing a stronger rural narrative, and finding rural assets. Information about the survey was delivered by Extension educators who reviewed the demographic and survey research in educational presentations about rural recruitment. These presentations were conducted nationwide and internationally (Canada) with a special concentration in Minnesota and states with large rural populations, including Illinois, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. In total, attendance at presentations delivered in 2021 was 2,791 people. Presentations occurred at universities (e.g., Montana State University Extension, North Dakota State University) and at gatherings organized by foundations (e.g., Blandin Foundation, Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation), but also in venues where academic presentations may be less common, including local chambers of commerce (e.g., Brainerd Lakes Chamber), and conferences and association meetings (e.g., Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Greater Minnesota Conference, National Rural Education Association, the Mille Lacs Tribal Economy Summit). Over the life of the grant, 149 presentations with content informed by study findings have been made, including a radio interview in 2020 on Minnesota Public Radio that had a statewide and potentially regional audience (https://extension.umn.edu/news/ben-winchester-talks-brain-gain-mpr). Not including this radio interview, the tally of audience members at the presentations made over the life of the grant is over 15,200 people. Minnesota also has a rich rural development industry and these leaders have been kept abreast of these findings over the years, as well as attended Extension events. We are seen as a go-to resource for education and research on the topic of workforce migration. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1) Research. Preliminary analysis of data collected from a survey of recent movers in rural Minnesota is complete at this point. The analysis has informed presentations made around Minnesota, regionally and nationally (see information on dissemination of results below). The analysis also served as the backbone of a chapter in the soon to be published book Rural Areas in Transitions: Meeting Challenges and Making Opportunities (N. Walzer ed., Routledge Press, 2022 (expected)). Additional publications that use results from the survey are planned for the coming year, with more in-depth statistical analysis currently underway. A summary of highlights from survey results include: Households that have recently moved to the counties included in the survey were a heterogeneous group. The substantial majority of individuals in these households were youth or working age adults. Long distance movers (moved from outside their current zip code) were well educated, with about half holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and heavily involved in the labor markets of their communities. Long distance movers tended to have higher incomes than local movers (those who moved from within the same zip code) and more commonly telecommuted. For over half of long distance movers, family connections in their communities was an important motivating factor. A slower pace of life and less congestion also appear to be important draws for long distance movers. In addition to quality of life factors, economic opportunity also factored heavily in the decisions of many long distance movers to select their communities. Nearly 40 percent of long distance movers aged between 18 and 64 moved to their new communities primarily to take a job. Long distance movers were very satisfied with their new communities overall, and were becoming socially and civically engaged residents. Some areas with lower levels of satisfaction, such as broadband options, have been the focus of communities and policy makers for many years. In other cases, such as access to housing that is affordable, lower levels of satisfaction among recent movers point to an emerging concern. The major research accomplishment of the project this past year was completion of the focus groups that had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We completed a total of 11 focus groups between December 2020 and February 2022 (most occurred in 2022). Focus groups ranged in size between four and 11 people, and included a total of 74 people. Four focus groups were conducted in English (23 participants total), three were conducted in Somali (23 participants total), and four were conducted in Spanish (28 participants total). In lieu of a 12th focus group, four individuals chose to participate in one-on-one interviews (all in Spanish). Seven focus groups were conducted in person, but, given pandemic restrictions, four were conducted online via Zoom. A variety of themes emerged from our preliminary analysis of transcripts from the focus groups and interviews: Finding housing was a significant challenge mentioned in all focus groups. English speaking focus groups discussed finding suitable affordable housing, while Somali and Spanish speaking focus groups discussed the challenges of finding rental housing that was affordable and would accommodate their larger family sizes. Language barriers were significant challenges for Somali and Spanish-speaking participants. Many participants discussed the challenges that not speaking English can cause in finding housing, employment, and interacting with government services, particularly given the limited attention that some local governments have paid to translating public-facing materials. This includes a prominent mention of the transportation barriers that can emerge when English is not the first language. It's difficult to connect in new communities. All participants discussed the challenges of building a social network in their new communities. However, participants in both the Somali and Spanish-speaking groups mentioned the importance of having a tight-knit cultural community to make the transition easier. In some communities, there are cultural differences that emerge across Spanish speakers based on their country of origin. Friends and family are the primary way that Somali and Spanish-speaking participants learned about their communities. Often friends and family members will recommend moving to the community because they enjoy living there or see economic opportunities. In all focus groups, participants described safety, security, and the slow pace of life as important factors that attracted them to the community. All participants would like to see more economic opportunities in their communities including employment opportunities and shopping opportunities. Concern for the needs of children was a common theme in the Somali and Spanish focus groups but was less so in the English focus groups. This concern centers around ensuring that schools are providing a good education for children, though schools were frequently seen as doing a good job. We will continue to analyze and refine the themes identified above in future research outputs that will likely include reports and peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. 2) Extension. Training and curriculum development Research findings are now included in updated curricula in the following programs: "Making It Home," "Marketing Hometown America," "Business Succession," and various resident recruitment workshops. The research findings also inform and provided the impetus for the Northwest Minnesota Foundation "Communities Thrive" grant program that supports activities building upon brain gain research. A new "Rural Resident Recruitment" engagement and outreach economic/community development model was formed which highlights the new research findings and proposes a community strategy that incorporates community development, economic development, and tourism activities. This began with Extension convening a statewide study group composed of Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) workforce staff and Center for Rural Policy and Development analysts. This group produced an article in the DEED publication "Greater Minnesota's Resident Recruitment Advantage" in September 2021. A network of these Resident Recruitment initiatives was created by this NIFA team and convened monthly at a meeting organized and hosted by Extension staff for two years. To date, Extension continues to convene online quarterly meetings to review and discuss common opportunities and challenges. This is the only statewide network of initiatives across the United States. Publicity includes numerous local, regional and national media stories. The landing page for this "Brain Gain" information was also updated with video recordings of interviews with the recruitment initiatives and new articles, such as an article for the DEED newsletter. on the research findings on the Ottertail County website, and an article in a DEED newsletter (https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/publications/trends/september-2021/greater-minnesota.jsp). The research informs the agendas of quarterly meetings with resident recruitment and welcoming initiative leaders across Minnesota, and has instigated consultations with Otter Tail County, the Iron Range Chamber of Commerce, Brainerd Lakes Association, and Rushford, Minnesota. Finally, other states have expressed interest in using our survey instrument to field their own surveys of recent movers to rural areas of their state. To date, Montana State University Extension has fielded their own survey, replicating the survey we created for this project, in every county in Montana. Eventually, research that compares and contrasts the results of the surveys in Minnesota and Montana will be published as reports and possibly in peer-reviewed publications.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Allen, Ryan and Benjamin Winchester. 2022. Rewriting the Rural Narrative: Recent Movers to Greater Minnesota in Rural Areas in Transition. Norman Walzer, ed. Routledge Press.
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Progress 04/01/20 to 03/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Rural communities in Minnesota and the local, regional and state leaders who set and implement policy and programs affecting the future of rural communities. Changes/Problems:The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has severely interrupted the qualitative data collection we planned for this project. The rate of Covid-19 infections in Greater Minnesota, new rules about in-person data collection at the University of Minnesota, and barriers to appropriate technologies among residents that would allow virtual focus groups to occur have all contributed to slower data collection than we anticipated. To date, we have accomplished one-third of our proposed number of focus groups. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The research and Extension teams continued to have internal discussions sharing results from the survey and updating of the literature review. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Program delivery:The Making it Home program was conducted in three Minnesota locations in 2020 despite the limitations of COVID. Extension educators pivoted the small group discussion activities and asset-based examination of communities. Programs were conducted in Sleepy Eye, Springfield and New Ulm, Minnesota. These programs incorporated findings from the surveys. In 2020, 16 educational presentations and localprofiles were delivered in Minnesota and in other states, with profiles and content informed by study findings. Presentations that incorporated this research:Extension educators incorporated findings from this research into presentations about rural demographics, establishing a stronger rural narrative, and finding rural assets.Information about the survey was delivered by Extension educators who reviewed the demographic and survey research in educational presentations about rural recruitment. These presentations were conducted nationwide with a special concentration on the most rural central and North Central states. Below is a list of 25 presentations and the locations of their participants (Most were presented online to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions): Indiana: Grant County EDA Iowa:Louisa/Muscatine EDA Kansas State Extension Minnesota(11): Sherburne County; Minnesota Rural Education Association; Crookston; Stearns County DFL; Minnesota Coalition of Rural Counties; Minnesota Association of Professional County EconomicDevelopers; Minnesota Rural Electrical; Southeast MN Together; Center for Rural Policy; McLeod for Tomorrow; Worthington leadership cohort Montana(4): Montana Extension; Montana Extension Reimagining Rural Conference; Montana Healthy Communities; Rise and Restore Rural Conference (multiple sponsors) North Dakota(3): Land Grant Summit, ND State University; Hankinson, ND Economic Development; Traille County EDC South DakotaNews Watch Wisconsin: Vial County EconomicDevelopers Regional and National groups:(3) National Rural Economic Developers Association; The Middle of Everywhere Podcast;North Central Cooperative Extension What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the fifth, no cost extension year of the project (requested in January 2021), the team will complete the qualitative data collection portion of the project (a combination of focus groups and one-on-one interviews). Focus group discussions will be analyzed and reports written. There will be continual updating and presenting of "Making It Home." We will be making presentations based on our findings to communities and groups across the state. We will publish research articles in the appropriate journals, and as appropriate, we will publish initial findings in local media. We will keep the advisory committee and involved communities up to date on our progress and findings and involve them in conversations about the results.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1) Research. The research team completed analysis of survey data and a report focused on results for the entire sample and additional specific analysis on the portion of the sample considered to be in their prime work years (aged 25-50). The research team also prepared a presentation that describes highlights from the survey findings and members of the research team have presented these findings publicly in several venues. Given a lack of representation in the survey results for people of color (we believe due to higher rates of non-response to the survey from households of color) we have refrained from distributing our research results more widely. Our qualitative data collection plan is designed to supply more information about the experiences of households of color and we would like to wait until this aspect of the project is complete before finalizing materials that will communicate our findings to public audiences. Shortly after submitting our previous progress report (Year 3), the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a large scale stay at home order and an ongoing and substantial shift toward working at home, social distancing, and refraining from gathering in larger groups with individuals outside of immediate households. Rules around qualitative data collection created at the University of Minnesota in response to the ongoing pandemic have made it extremely difficult to conduct in-person focus groups during the past year. As it became clear that the pandemic was a long term reality and that rules constraining our ability to conduct in-person focus groups would remain in place for the foreseeable future, members of the research team changed our focus group to virtual focus groups on the Zoom platform. This change necessitated an additional IRB application, changes to the focus group questions and a planned reduction in the number of focus group participants. To date, these focus groups have been extremely difficult due to ongoing complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic and technological barriers. As a result, we have completed only 4 out of 12 planned focus groups. With the pandemic beginning to recede we believe that in-person focus groups will once again be possible, possibly as early as this summer or fall. In the meantime, we have begun to conduct one-on-one interviews with potential focus group participants in lieu of attempting to schedule and execute focus groups in a virtual platform. This portion of the project is ongoing and serves as the basis for an additional NCE request made to NIFA in January 2021. 2) Extension. Training and curriculumdevelopment; dissemination activities. Curriculum development.Based on an expanded literature review and initial results from the survey, the Minnesota Extension program, "Making it Home" and the national "Marketing Hometown America" curriculum were bothrevised to reflect new findings and needs of communities. Curriculum writers from Minnesota and three other states convened in March and April of 2020 to begin the rewrite of the Marketing Hometown America curriculum. Information from the survey was shared with those curriculum writers as it became available. Rural Recruitment Initiatives.An Extension newsletter summarized the interviews on community resident recruitment programs was published and was widely read. It was also re-published in other publications and was incorporated into rural recruitment initiatives by Extension in other states. Extension conducted quarterly check-ins with Minnesota rural recruitment initiatives who were interviewed in the first stage of the grant. Conversations examined the evolution of rural recruitment efforts as they were during those interviews, and how they changed with a greater focus on integrating all newcomers into civic life.
Publications
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