Ossian and Waukon residents will be surveyed about the impact of COVID-19 in rural Iowa

Iowans living in 70 rural communities will be contacted by mail soon as part of a University of Iowa and Iowa State University survey about how COVID-19 has affected the lives of rural Iowans.

Iowa State University sociology professor David Peters says there's been a lot of focus on the big metro areas, but very little discussion about Iowa's rural communities.

"Beyond the packing towns, what's been the impact in small-town America?" Peters asks. "How has isolation, job losses and the economic impacts of the pandemic, coupled with a long-term decline in the farm economy the last three, four, five years, how is that really impacting rural America?"

The surveys should be mailed out within the next few weeks.   The National Science Foundation donated $200,000 to both schools to conduct the survey of 12,000 people.

"What's really been the job losses, what's been the emotional impact, and with school starting up, challenges with health care and other things that might be closed down?" Peters asks. "We're also interested in how people social distance — or not — in the communities, but really just to try and get a handle on what they see as the biggest challenges facing them from the pandemic."