Strengthening support for families would boost Nebraska’s economy, the review found

After analyzing local, state and national databases, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers concluded that expanding and increasing support for families in Nebraska is essential to ensuring a “good life” for all Nebraskans.

The team’s analysis found that Nebraska families are becoming more diverse and complex, largely due to changes in the demographic composition of the state’s population in recent decades.

With an aging population, increasing immigration and the migration of workers seeking work elsewhere, keeping up with the changing needs of Nebraska families becomes critical to promoting health and well-being among current and future generations and ensuring the state’s economic success.

Lorey Wheeler, director of the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics and assistant professor at the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, is lead author of a new manuscript examining Nebraska families based on state priorities.

These priorities, identified in the Nebraska Extension Needs Assessment, include developing a skilled workforce, creating statewide economic vitality, retaining and attracting young people, improving health and well-being, and leveraging Nebraska’s strengths to achieve lasting success.

The article, titled “Nebraska Families 2023: State Priorities and Key Areas of Promise,” was recently published in The State of Nebraska Families: State Priorities and Key Areas of Promise. Marriage and family reviewa journal focusing on marriage-related research, practice, theories, and applications.

The manuscript describes Nebraska’s geography, demographics, and governmental context and reviews how current state policies, programs, and resources are addressing the needs and concerns of the family-centered state’s working-age population.

The Husker team concluded that developing policies that support accessible, high-quality child care, caregiver support, and lifelong health and well-being would improve the well-being of workers and families across the state. It would also stop the migration of workers to other states and improve personal productivity, thereby strengthening Nebraska’s economic vitality.

“Investing resources in the people most important in an employee’s life – their children, parents and families – is critical,” Wheeler said. “Addressing geographic and racial disparities in health and access to health care are essential issues that must be addressed in Nebraska so that everyone can feel that this is a ‘good life.’

Data shows that more than 70% of Nebraska children live in households where all adults work, underscoring the need for universal access to child care and paid sick leave policies.

“The infrastructure divide between rural and urban communities makes it difficult for people with families in the state to access the support they need,” said Patty Kuo, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies and co-author of the review .

“There is reality behind the structure of working families. Most Nebraska families do not have a single-earner household, requiring paid sick leave policies and access to child care. The state wants people to work, and we want the state to help people who work.”

Wheeler emphasizes that retaining the state’s workforce is essential and that meeting the diverse family needs of Nebraska’s working-age population would help workers leaving the state to seek opportunities elsewhere.

“Many children attend UNL and then move to another state to provide better opportunities for their families,” she said. “The goal is to maintain an educated workforce, so it is imperative that workers currently in Nebraska be provided with appropriate, holistic support in fulfilling their responsibilities to their families.”

Kuo said the data shows the need for innovation in policies and programs to create a healthy environment for families.

“We can’t solve these problems on an individual level,” she said. “People are embedded in families, and the main reason they leave Nebraska is to find another job or support their family. We want people to see a direct connection between the state’s economic priorities and supporting families.”