04/25/2005

UAEDI SURVEY RESULTS: Do University of Arkansas Graduates Want to Return to Arkansas? by Otto Loewer, Molly Longstreth and Carolyne Garcia

A majority of University of Arkansas graduates would choose to live in Arkansas again at some point in their lives – whether or not they are originally from Arkansas. While a much larger number of Arkansas natives, particularly those from northwest Arkansas, would choose to return to Arkansas, a statistically significant number of graduates from other areas of the world would also be interested in living in Arkansas at some point during their lives after completing their education.

Over half of the responding U of A seniors and M.S. degree-seeking graduate students (54 percent, 233 respondents) said they would like to live in Arkansas immediately after graduation and another 24 percent (103 respondents) said they would like to live in Arkansas after working elsewhere for a number of years. An additional 6.5 percent (28 respondents) said they would like to return to Arkansas when they retire. Of the remainder, only 4 percent said that they did not want to return to Arkansas, and the remainder was undecided.

“Overall, these are some amazing numbers,” said Otto Loewer, director of the University of Arkansas Economic Development Institute (UAEDI). “Nearly did nearly 85 percent of all responding graduates, no matter where they were from, want to return to Arkansas at some point. Additionally, only 2 percent of students from northwest Arkansas and 10 percent of respondents from other places in Arkansas indicated that they would not want to return to the state at some point.”

Commissioned by UAEDI, the random survey identified twelve criteria deemed important by University of Arkansas students when selecting a community to live in after graduation. The survey also sought to determine how a group of seniors and graduate students viewed various Arkansas communities relative to those criteria and assess how much these students wanted to return to Arkansas at some point in their lives.

Respondents (446 seniors and masters degree students) comprised an equal proportion of males and females and 74 percent were from somewhere in Arkansas. Other respondents were from Oklahoma (4.5 percent), Missouri (3.4 percent), and Texas (2.9 percent) or 23 foreign countries (6.7 percent).

The respondents considered all of the criteria to be important. Jobs, housing, environment and cost of living topped the list. Quality of kindergarten through 12th grade education; opportunity for higher education; community tolerance; arts, cultural, and entertainment opportunities; and outdoor recreational opportunities were ranked very close to one another in importance. Overall, community social values, proximity of family, and diversity were considered the least important of the criteria.
The 364 respondents that indicated an interest in living in Arkansas at some point after graduation fell into three groups: those who wanted to return immediately after graduation, those that wanted to return after working a few years, and those who wanted to return at retirement. Each respondent was asked to express the degree to which they would like to live in Arkansas (ranked in five categories: “not at all,” “a little,” “neither some nor a little,”, “some” or “a lot”).

Most respondents in each group expressed a strong desire to return to Arkansas. Nearly 87 percent of those who intended to live in Arkansas immediately after graduation selected either “some” (32 percent) or “a lot” (55 percent). For those returning after working elsewhere for a number of years, 79 percent selected “some” or “a lot” (46 percent and 33 percent, respectively), as did 63 percent of those wanting to return at retirement (37 percent and 26 percent respectively).

Respondents from Arkansas (88 percent) exhibit only slightly stronger preferences for remaining in the state immediately after graduation than did respondents from other states or countries (84 percent) when adding the “some” and “a lot” categories. However, there were considerable differences between the two groups within the categories of “some” and “a lot” (28 percent “some” and 60 percent “a lot” for Arkansans as compared to 47 percent “some” and 37 percent “a lot” for non-natives).

Respondents from Arkansas (80 percent) also exhibit a somewhat stronger preference for returning to Arkansas a few years after graduation than did respondents from other states and countries (68 percent) when adding the “some” and “a lot” categories.” However, there were smaller differences between the two groups within the categories of “some” and “a lot” (45 percent “some” and 35 percent “a lot” for Arkansans as compared to 42 percent “some” and 26 percent “a lot” for non-natives).

By retirement age, however, respondents from other states and countries (100 percent) exhibited a much stronger preference for returning to Arkansas than native Arkansans (42 percent) when adding the “some” and “a lot” categories.” There were considerable differences between the two groups in both categories (60 percent “some” and 40 percent “a lot” for non-natives as compared to 18 percent “some” and 24 percent “a lot” for Arkansans).

Among native Arkansans, regional differences within the state were not statistically significant for those who say that they want to remain in Arkansas immediately after graduation. Respondents from central (100 percent), northwest (91 percent), northeast (82 percent), southeast (78 percent) and southwest (80 percent) Arkansas selected either “some” or “a lot.”

Likewise, regional differences among native Arkansans were not considered to be statistically significant for those who say that they want to return to after working a few years. Respondents from central Arkansas (78 percent), northwest (77 percent), northeast (66 percent), southeast (100 percent) and southwest (100 percent) selected either “some” or “a lot.”

For those wanting to return at retirement, however, these numbers diverge. Respondents from central Arkansas (10 percent), northwest (65 percent), northeast (25 percent), southeast (10 percent) and southwest (43 percent) selected either “some” or “a lot.”

Of the 85 percent of respondents who want to live in Arkansas at some point, both native Arkansans and non-natives exhibit an overwhelmingly strong preference for working in Arkansas (95 percent and 92 percent respectively) either immediately or a few years after graduation. This UAEDI survey points to some rather astonishing conclusions:

1. Respondents see Arkansas much more as a place to work than a retirement destination and,

2. Non-native respondents see Arkansas in a more positive light than most Arkansans realize or expect.

Therefore, the implications for Arkansas are “two sides of the same coin”:

1. Well-educated Arkansans often leave the state because there is a lack of rewarding job opportunities.

2. Non-native University of Arkansas graduates would work in Arkansas if rewarding jobs were available, and

3. Creating a sufficient number of rewarding job opportunities will enable these graduates to fulfill their desire to live and work in Arkansas.

UAEDI SURVEY RESULTS: Do University of Arkansas Graduates Want to Return to Arkansas?