PEORIA, Ill. — Despite an eroding quality of community life, rural Illinoisans are optimistic about the future. This is according to the most recent Illinois Rural Life Poll, conducted by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University.

The poll, which was completed by close to 1,500 rural dwellers during 2013, gathered perceptions of quality of life (QOL), community participation and how rural residents prioritize key issues facing the state.

According to study co-author Cynthia Struthers, IIRA associate professor, understanding the perceptions of “downstate” Illinoisans is essential to addressing today’s challenges. And if the poll results are a true indication of the mindset of the average rural denizen in Illinois, nearly half are of the perception that the QOL in their communities is in the midst of a steep decline.

“Forty-seven percent of people responding felt that things had gotten worse in their community in the previous five-year time frame,” said Struthers, who presented the poll’s findings during a seminar at the IIRA Rural Community Economic Development Conference in downtown Peoria March 5.

“But when asked about family quality of life, people were much less likely (29 percent) to say things were worse.” The gap between perceptions of community and family life is typical for the poll, which has been conducted about every three years since it began in 1989 as a panel survey, she explained.

“People have always rated the quality of their family life as better than that of their community life. The reason I think that is true is because people believe they have a better sense of control over the quality of life for their family than they do with their community quality of life,” said Struthers, who conducted the study with colleague Christopher Merret, using funds provided by the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and the Provost’s Office at WIU in Macomb.

“As a sociologist (the survey) concerns me. We do community development-related work here at (IIRA), which just suggests we have a lot of work to do.”

The survey revealed 43 percent of those polled in 2013 felt the ensuing five years would see the QOL of their communities worsen. Conversely, 43 percent predicted their family QOL would improve. A whopping 73 percent of respondents felt the overall economic prospects for Illinois families would worsen in the following five years.

“In 2013 I think the larger context of the state’s economic, political and social environments very much had an impact on how people felt about their communities and the state of Illinois. When asked about the overall economic prospects for Illinois families, these (environments) tend to bleed into our perceptions,” Struthers said. “But we continue to get a lot of support and satisfaction – even when things are bad – from our families.”

In continuing with its incongruous theme, the poll revealed 44 percent of respondents rated their communities as “good” places to live, as opposed to fair or poor. But 49.5 percent rated the state of Illinois as a “poor” place to live.

“When we asked people to prioritize the things they dislike the most about the state, the first thing that came up was high taxes. So there is kind of a disconnect between the things they desire for their communities and how they are going to be paid for,” Struthers continued.

“That’s one of the things I found kind of interesting. The 2013 survey was very interesting overall, I think.”

The top two issues facing rural Illinoisans, according to the poll results, are improving local economies and education. The top items of concern are adequacy of school funding and attracting high-paying local jobs, the survey said.

Other issues and items of concern listed by respondents included adequacy and quality of drinking water, recreation and services for families, local access to health care, jobs that match residents’ education levels, availability of locally produced food and responsiveness of state government to local needs.

The survey findings also offered a glimmer of hope while providing a snapshot of the spirit of optimism typical in rural Midwesterners. Going forth, the mission of the IIRA will be to identify those community leaders who are excited about the future of their towns and arm them with the tools and resources necessary to spur small business development and entrepreneurship, Struthers explained.

“Rural communities and rural citizens consider themselves to be family-centered. I consider that a plus. And rural communities continue to have strong anchor institutions, such as churches and schools,” she noted. “I was very pleased to see the amount of community participation people are engaged in.”

Also of interest: 27 percent of respondents indicated they had entertained aspirations of running for a local political office.

“And a lot of people had at least some interest in opening a local business,” Struthers concluded. “I think that suggests that they would like to see a bigger variety of businesses in their downtowns. I see that as a really good thing.”

Struthers said the IIRA hopes to conduct its next Illinois Rural Life Poll in the fall of 2016, budget permitting.