Strengthening family supports would boost Nebraska economy, review shows

After examining local, state and national databases, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers have concluded that expanding and enhancing supports for Nebraska’s families is vital to ensure the “good life” for all Nebraska residents.

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

With an aging population, evolving immigration and an outward migration of workers seeking jobs elsewhere, keeping up with the changing needs of Nebraska families becomes crucial for promoting health and well-being among current and future generations—and to ensure the state’s economic success.

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

Those priorities, identified by a Nebraska Extension needs assessment, include developing a skilled workforce, creating statewide economic vitality, retaining and attracting young people, enhancing health and well-being, and leveraging Nebraska’s strengths for sustained success.

The article, “The 2023 State of Nebraska Families: State Priorities and Key Areas of Promise,” was recently published in Marriage & Family Review, a journal that focuses on research, practice, theories and applications related to marriage.

The manuscript describes Nebraska’s geography, demographics and government contexts and reviews where current state policy, programming and resources stand in addressing family-focused needs and issues of the state’s working-age population.

The Husker team concluded that crafting policy that supports accessible high-quality child care, caregiver supports, and health and well-being across the lifespan would enhance worker and family well-being throughout the state. It would also stem the outward migration of workers to other states and improve personal productivity—bolstering Nebraska’s economic vitality in the process.

“Investing resources in the people most important in a worker’s life—their children, parents and families—is crucial,” Wheeler said. “Addressing geographic and racial disparities in health, and access to health care, are essential issues to address in Nebraska for everyone to feel like it is the ‘good life.'”

Data shows that more than 70% of Nebraska’s children live in households where all adults work, highlighting the need for widespread access to child care and paid medical leave policies.

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

“Policy is behind the reality of the structure of working families. Most families in Nebraska do not have a single-earner household, thus requiring the need for paid medical 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 state workforce retention is vital and that meeting the diverse family needs of Nebraska’s working-age population would help address workers leaving the state in search of opportunities elsewhere.

“Many kids go to college here at UNL and then end up moving to another state for better opportunities for their families,” she said. “The goal is to retain an educated workforce, so it’s necessary to ensure workers currently in Nebraska are adequately supported holistically in their responsibilities to their families.”

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

“We can’t just solve these problems at an individual level,” she said. “People are embedded in families, and the top reason people leave Nebraska is to find another job, or for their families. We want people to see the direct link between state economic priorities and supporting families.”