New research shows elderly and families with children are lagging when it comes to pandemic recovery

Earlier this summer, the NC Pandemic Recovery Office launched the inaugural NC Community Engagement Survey in partnership with the NC Rural Center, NC Association of County Commissioners, and NC League of Municipalities. The survey comes from the College of Business’ (COB) Bureau of Business Research and is conducted by COB’s Drs. Russell Lemken and Jason Rowe. The survey solicits timely insights into the state of community conditions recovering from the pandemic and preparing for the future.

The results of the June 2022 NC Community Engagement Survey are out now and can be found on the Bureau of Business Research website.

The survey included questions that covered six specific issues related to pandemic recovery, including access to cell phone service, broadband, food, health care, housing and childcare, as well as long‐term and short-term measures of overall recovery in North Carolina communities.

Takeaways

1. Long-term measures of progress remain more optimistic than short-term.
2. Affordability of necessities is still a concern.
3. Pandemic recovery continues to be uneven across regions.
4. Key areas of short-term pandemic recovery declined in June.
5. The elderly and families with children are still a concern.

What’s the Gist

Pandemic recovery has stalled and remained the same since the May 2022 report (PDF).

Interesting Find

When asked about month-to-month changes in pandemic relief conditions in their communities, most community leaders gave answers in the “stayed the same” range. This contrasts with responses about long-term changes, which indicate improvements, but more change is needed to return to pre-pandemic community conditions.

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