Covid-19 Poll

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic continues to be a major public health crisis in the U.S. Large metropolitan areas have garnered the most attention in academic and policy discussions about COVID-19 due to the sheer numbers of cases and deaths. Missing from the discussion is the pandemic’s impact on smaller communities in rural America. This is a critical omission because COVID cases and deaths have proliferated in rural places over the past year. There is an immediate need to understand how COVID-19 has impacted the well-being of residents in understudied rural communities, especially meat packing towns that have had large outbreaks among their diverse workforce. Our project documents the health, economic, and emotional impacts of COVID-19 from a survey of 13,679 households across 73 small towns in Iowa, including two micropolitans. There were 5,229 Iowans who responded to our survey, for a response rate of 38.2 percent. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (grants #2033920 and #2033957); and is a collaborative effort between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

COVID Counseling and Assistance

• COVID Recovery Iowa provides counseling, virtual activities, referrals and help finding resources to any Iowan seeking assistance or a listening ear.
• Visit the website at https://covidrecoveryiowa.org
• Call or text 1-844-775-WARM or 800-447-1985.  Para español, teléfono o texto 531-800-3687.

About the Project

State Reports

• Impact of COVID-19 in Iowa’s Small Towns. Peters, Novak, & Berg (2021). SOC 3100, ISU Extension.