Farmers' and non-farmers' views differed somewhat on the poll's environmental questions, Allen said. Those differences probably are due to different perspectives and experiences. For example, farmers deal with environmental regulations daily and may tend to view them as more of a burden than non-farmers. They also are more aware than non-farmers of the steps they've taken to improve environmental quality in their operations. As I look at this data overall, I think it shows that rural Nebraskans are thinking about stewardship of the land.
Researchers continue to analyze poll results.
Information on other aspects of the poll will be available later this year. The poll was sent to randomly selected rural residents living in towns and the country in Nebraska's 87 rural counties. Respondents' average age was 53. Respondents had lived in their current community for an average of 32 years. The Rural Nebraska Poll was conducted in cooperation with IANR's Cooperation Extension and Agricultural Research Divisions.