Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/14/00
Contacts:
Paul Lasley, Extension Sociology, (515) 294-0937, plasley@iastate.edu
Lois Wright-Morton, Extension Sociology, (515) 294-2843,
lwmorton@iastate.edu
Del Marks, Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
Farmers Say Minorities and Immigrants are Changing the Face of Rural Iowa
AMES, Iowa -- More than four of every ten Iowa farm families say they now have minority persons living or working within their communities, according to the 2000 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll.
The migration of minority groups into the state is transforming the racial and ethnic composition of the state. This in turn opens up opportunities for new kinds of interactions with persons of ethnic backgrounds different than their own, says Paul Lasley, Iowa State University Extension rural sociologist who directs the poll. Lois Wright Morton, also an ISU Extension sociologist, assisted in this part of the questionnaire. She said it is important to not only understand the magnitude of this shift but to also assess how well new minority groups are being assimilated into the social fabric of rural Iowa.
While 43 percent of the farmers surveyed said there are minority persons living or working within their communities, 35 percent answered that question "no" and another 22 percent were not sure whether there were any minority groups present.
Farmers who said minority persons live in their community were asked how well those persons are integrated into the community. Eighteen percent said that the newcomers are well integrated, 32 percent said they are somewhat integrated, and 25 percent said there is very little integration. Another 4 percent said there is no integration, and 21 percent of the farmers surveyed said they do not know what level of community integration has taken place. Morton noted that complete integration will take a while, especially given that this wave of immigration is relatively new. "While one would like to reduce the time it takes to become fully integrated, this will not occur overnight. Communities experiencing the influx of newcomers, regardless of race or ethnicity often need assistance on how to ensure that everyone feels welcome," she said.
A Humboldt County farmer wrote he was worried that immigrant workers are taking jobs away from U.S. citizens who need jobs. He also said he was "against the fact that lots of people think our schools should switch to the Spanish language." Lasley said that he hears this concern from many rural people who are uncomfortable with the large influx of international immigrants coming to Iowa for jobs.
The survey also asked farmers what level of interaction they have had with persons who have minority backgrounds. Seventy-three percent said they have never participated in a community project with a minority person as a member. Sixty-three percent have never worked with a minority person as a co-worker, nor played sports or a recreational activity with a person of color. Fifty-nine percent reported they had never purchased goods or services from a minority person. "These data suggest there is a need to improve the integration and interaction across these racial and ethnic groups if full integration is to occur," Morton and Lasley said.
The next step in this project is to begin to explore what communities might do to increase the integration and assimilation of these newcomers. "I think it important to recognize that this is not just a problem with racial and ethnic minorities," Lasley said. I have talked with many whites new to the state who have commented about how long it took before they felt they were fully accepted into the community," Lasley added.
One poll respondent took issue with the way the questions about minorities were asked in the survey. "(Responses to) the questions on minorities could give the impression that I choose not to mix with minorities," a Dickinson County farmer wrote. "That is not the case. There are none in my close proximity."
Morton said this was the first time that this topic was included on the annual survey and she hopes future polls will include questions that will allow monitoring of this important demographic shift.
The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is funded by ISU Extension and the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The purpose of the poll, conducted since 1982, is to ask farmers' views on a variety of rural and agricultural issues. A statewide random sample of 4,977 Iowa farm operators were sent mail questionnaires in February, with 3,049 replying, yielding a 61 percent response rate.
ml: isufarm
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.