Story Archives of 'Demographics'

A new report from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire finds a rural America far more varied, nuanced and distinct than ever thought. It surveyed 8,000 Americans from 19 rural counties including Coos in New Hampshire and Oxford in Northern Maine. The survey found four distinct rural areas that were defined not by geography but by a complex picture of the economics, demographics, politics and values of the people. Today we talk to the report's authors about their findings on rural America and what it might mean for the Granite State.

Guests

• Cynthia “Mil” Duncan, founding director of the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire
• Chris Colocousis, research assistant and sociology PhD candidate at the Carsey Institute

A new documentary and companion book called “Communities and Consequences” explores the human ecology of our state. The book is co-authored by demographer Peter Francese and now State Agriculture Commissioner, Lorraine Stuart Merrill. The documentary is produced by filmmaker Jay Childs and hosted by Francese. Both film and book send alarm that our ecology is very much out of balance. They suggest that we’ve become too old, that we’re driving younger families out of our state due to an irrational fear of higher taxes, that our thoughts on preservation have become skewed and that we’re in desperate need of workforce housing. And they both warn that unless this imbalance is corrected soon it may mean “economic suicide” for our state. We’ll look at the ideas of human ecology, ask if and why we may be growing older and what could be done to get our state back in balance.

Guests

• Peter Francese, demographer, coauthor of the book “Communities and Consequences: The Unbalancing of New Hampshire’s Human Ecology, and what we can do about it” and featured in the companion documentary by the same name
• Steve Norton , Executive Director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy
• Ken Kerber , Chairman of the Planning Board in Marlborough, NH for 18 years. Ken was also in the documentary “Communities and Consequences”.
• Andy Lucier , Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director and Ambulance Director for the town of Milton, NH. Andy has been involved with the Fire Department and Ambulance for Milton for 35 years and he’s also in the documentary, “Communities and Consequences”.

When people point to a graying Granite State, they not only worry about having more "older" people, but some suggest, what's equally as bad is the departure of many of New Hampshire's youth. Some are concerned that New Hampshire's twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings are leaving in droves due to high housing prices, a lack of entry-level or "first career jobs" and that New Hampshire isn't as "cool" a place to live as Boston or New York. If this is true, the lack of a younger generation could possibly have as big of a negative effect for the state as the influx of older people. We'll look at how and why younger Granite Staters are staying or leaving, what implications it may have, and what some in New Hampshire are doing to ensure residents in their 20s and 30s stay in the state.


Guests

• Stephen Reno, Chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire
• Ross Gittell, James R. Carter Professor at UNH and Senior Fellow at the Carsey Institute
• Kate Benway, Marketing Retention Specialist for the City of Manchester
• Jim Wagner, Former Vice President and General Manager of the North Country mills. Currently he's working with the Coos County communities on community and economic development initiatives

It?s been said that ?New Hampshire is aging? and aging profoundly?. The state?s 55-plus population is growing faster than almost any other area of the country. In fact, it?s predicted that the number of elderly will triple in the next 20 years. Analysts are looking at this data and beginning to worry saying that the Granite state aging this quickly will result in less affordable housing, far less retail spending and a weak long term economic outlook. We?ll review the latest demographic trends for New Hampshire and look at what an aging state would mean to its economy and prosperity. Laura?s guests are Peter Francese, Demographic Trends Analyst for Ogilvy and Mather in New York City and Founder of American Demographics Magazine and Brian Gottlob, Principal of Policon Research, an agency with a focus on economic and public policy issues.