Pew study says pandemic hasn't boosted Americans' desire to live in rural areas, but has made suburbs more desirable

"A study from the Pew Research Center showed that the percentage of Americans who prefer to live in rural areas has remained virtually unchanged during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is in comparison to more people wanting to live in suburbs vs. cities, according to the research," Kristi Eaton reports for The Daily Yonder. "The report found that about one in five U.S. adults now express a preference for living in a city, down from about a quarter in 2018. The share of Americans who would like to live in the suburbs has increased from 42% to 46% during this time. Meanwhile, the preference for rural areas is virtually unchanged – 35% in 2021 compared to 36% in 2018."

The study also examined Americans' sentiments about the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. About 45% of urban residents say the economic impact of the pandemic is a major problem in their community, and 37% say the health impact is a major problem. "By comparison, 31% of those in the suburbs and 33% of rural dwellers say the economic impact of the pandemic is a major problem in their local area, and about a quarter each say the health impact is a major issue," Pew reports.

Across community types, Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely than White or Asian Americans to say the pandemic has a major effect on their local economy, and Black Americans are most likely of any ethnic group to say the pandemic has had a major effect on their community's health, Pew reports. Adults with lower incomes are more likely than other income brackets to say the pandemic has had a major impact on their community's health and economy.

About half of those surveyed (49%) say affordable housing is a major problem in their community, up 10 percentage points from 2018, Pew reports.