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Survey released on rural Americans opinions

A new survey released by the NPR, Harvard School of Public Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows the current views and experiences of Americans living in rural areas. The survey, which focused on 1,300 people above the age of 18 focused on economic and health issues.

“This was a chance to hear from people living in rural America,” said Katrina Badger from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “It really represents the diverse and various perspectives.”

The survey discussed various things with those being surveyed, asking questions about why they were where they were, how they felt their lives were, and feelings about the future alongside concerns they had for their communities, including health, social, and economical concerns.

According to the survey, top problems identified through responses were drug addiction or abuse and economic concerns. Of those who responded to the survey, 48 percent believed opioid addiction has gotten worse in their communities compared to 40 percent saying it is the same and 5 percent saying it has gotten better.

In other health related problems polled, 64 percent of rural Americans believed suicide rates have remained the same in their community with 23 percent believing it has worsened and 7 percent seeing the rates as improved.

When it came to their lives, 41 percent believe their lives have turned out better than expected, 42 percent think it turned out expected, and only 15 percent say their lives are worse.

When it came to believing that their children would be better of than them in the future of their communities, 55 percent gave positive responses.

When it comes to economic problems that many of the communities are facing, most rural Americans agree on ways to improve it. The top three are long-term job opportunities, better quality of public schools, and better access to healthcare.

While 82 percent say the population in their communities has grown or stayed the same, younger generations are still moving from their rural communities. With 52 percent saying their children moved away to find jobs and 13 percent saying their children moved due to struggling to find a long-term job, job opportunities is a large focus to some rural Americans.

“Hopefully people can see this as a call to action,” Badger said.

Many other statistics play in to this hope, such as only 37 percent of rural Americans polled believing major problems facing their communities can be solved on their own. Around 58 percent believe outside help will be needed.

The findings overall showed that rural Americans have strong ties to their communities and value life, family, and jobs. According to the survey, one third of those interviewed chose to live where they are due to family.

“The survey really shows there is no single rural experience or perspective,” Badger said.

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