P4130

2024 Mississippi Statewide Needs Assessment Survey

About This Report

Mississippi State University Extension provides research-based information, educational programs, and technology transfer focused on issues and needs of Mississippians, enabling them to make informed decisions about their well-being. With offices in all 82 counties and on tribal lands of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI), MSU Extension’s unique interdisciplinary perspective enables the organization to make a real difference in the lives of Mississippians.

From late 2024 to early 2025, MSU Extension conducted a statewide needs assessment survey to better understand community needs and priorities. Both web-based and paper-and-pencil versions of the survey were available. Various methods were used to distribute the survey, including tabling at community events, posting to social media and listservs, and initiating snowball sampling by asking friends, family, and community partners to distribute the survey via their own social media, listservs, and personal contacts. A Qualtrics survey panel and MSU Extension professionals also completed the survey. Ultimately, a total of 3,501 individuals across the state responded to the survey.

The statewide needs assessment survey included 70 items across five program areas:

4-H Youth Development (13 items)
Community Resource and Economic Development (13 items)
Agriculture (16 items)
Natural Resources (14 items)
Family, Health, and Wellness (14 items)

For the five program areas, participants were asked to rank the importance of addressing the items in their community using the following scale: very important, important, somewhat important, not important, I don't know (which is not included in this analysis).

For delivery methods, participants were asked how likely they were to use the delivery methods to learn about the program area items using the following scale: very likely, likely, somewhat likely, not likely, I don't know (which is not included in this analysis).

The results of the survey provide data-driven insight to help inform MSU Extension’s work moving forward. Engaging community members in this needs assessment process ensures that MSU Extension programs are aligned with local needs and priorities.

Note: The PDF on this page does not meet web accessibility standards. It is for printing only. The following tables present the same data found in the PDF.

Table 1. Top 15 priorities identified by Mississippi respondents.
Priority	Program Area	Percentage of Respondents Who Selected “Very Important” or “Important”
Access to affordable, healthy food	Family, Health, and Wellness	92.8
Drinking water quality	Natural Resources	92.2
Selection and safe preparation of healthy food	Family, Health, and Wellness	90.8
Fitness and nutrition	4-H Youth Development	89.7
Preserving family or individually owned farms/ranches	Agriculture	89.7
Disaster preparation, response, and recovery	Community Resource and Economic Development	89.4
Entrepreneurship and financial literacy	4-H Youth Development	89.4
Plant science	4-H Youth Development	89.4
Supports for families and individuals with special needs	Family, Health, and Wellness	89.3
Conserving and managing freshwater resources	Natural Resources	89.3
Agricultural production	Agriculture	89.2
Family relationships and parenting skills	Family, Health, and Wellness	89.1
Safe and accessible public water and sewer	Community Resource and Economic Development	88.9
High-quality early childhood care/education	Family, Health, and Wellness	88.6
Illegal dumping and littering	Natural Resources	88.4

Table 2. 4-H Youth Development priorities ranked by percentage of “very important.” *Note:* Between 3,391 and 3,422 participants responded to each item in this section.
Priority	Very Important	Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Entrepreneurship skills and financial literacy	61.1	28.3	8.8	1.8
Social and emotional well-being	61.0	27.0	9.7	2.3.
Plant science	61.0	28.4	9.1	1.5
Fitness and nutrition	55.8	33.9	8.9	1.4
Leadership skills and personal development	55.7	32.4	10.1	1.8
Animal science	55.0	30.9	11.8	2.3
College and career readiness skills	54.2	32.1	11.4	2.3
Natural resources and environmental science	53.6	29.7	14.3	2.4
Health and safety	51.6	35.7	10.8	1.9
Engineering and technology literacy and skills	51.2	33.3	13.2	2.3
Community action	46.7	37.5	13.4	2.4
Outdoor recreation	43.4	35.9	16.3	4.4
Creative and expressive arts	32.6	39.1	22.6	5.7

Table 3. Community Resource and Economic Development priorities ranked by percentage of “very important.” *Note*: Between 3,245 and 3,311 participants responded to each item in this section.
Priority	Very Important	Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Safe and accessible public water and sewer	64.2	24.7	9.3	1.8
Disaster preparation, response, and recovery	58.6	30.9	9.3	1.2
Natural resource management	54.6	33.3	10.2	1.9
Workforce development	53.1	35.3	9.9	1.7
Support for access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet	47.7	34.8	13.4	4.1
Business development, attraction, retention, expansion	46.0	37.9	13.9	2.2
Entrepreneurship and small/local business development	44.0	40.1	14.0	1.9
Downtown revitalization	44.0	35.3	16.8	3.9
Community planning and problem-solving	42.7	40.1	14.4	2.8
Local government employee training and certification	41.4	38.5	16.5	3.6
Digital skills and literacy	40.6	39.1	16.9	3.4
Civic engagement and community leadership	40.1	39.9	16.9	3.1
Tourism and recreation	35.9	38.8	20.1	5.2

Table 4. Agriculture priorities ranked by percentage of “very important.” *Note*: Between 3,062 and 3,129 participants responded to each item in this section.
Priority	Very Important	Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Preserving family or individually owned farms/ranches	61.9	27.7	8.1	2.3
Agricultural production	57.9	31.2	8.7	2.2
Support for new farmers and ranchers	57.0	30.2	10.5	2.3
Local food system development	51.6	36.6	10.3	1.5
Pollinators and pollinator services	50.2	33.8	13.5	2.5
Animal health and forage management	48.6	37.2	12.1	2.1
Home and community gardening	48.3	35.1	14.0	2.6
Agricultural worker training and education	44.3	39.3	14.3	2.1
Nutrient management	44.0	39.5	14.2	2.3
Profitability of agriculture and agribusinesses	43.9	39.9	13.6	2.6
Pesticide applicator safety, licensure, and certification	43.8	37.9	15.3	3.3
Agricultural technologies	43.3	40.4	13.6	2.7
Pest identification and management	42.3	39.1	16.3	2.3
Sustainable management of landscapes and sports turf	42.1	38.6	16.5	2.8
Sustainable agricultural systems	39.3	38.3	18.6	3.8
Agricultural tourism and ecotourism	38.3	38.8	19.1	3.8

Table 5. Natural Resources priorities ranked by percentage of “very important.” *Note*: Between 2,894 and 3,007 participants responded to each item in this section.
Priority	Very Important	Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Drinking water quality	71.6	20.7	6.2	1.5
Conserving and managing freshwater resources	57.7	31.5	9.2	1.8
Illegal dumping and littering	57.7	30.7	9.8	1.8
Protecting/conserving the marine environment and fishery	53.3	31.0	12.4	3.3
Forest conservation and management	51.9	34.7	11.0	2.4
Urban and rural stormwater management	51.7	34.8	11.0	2.5
Water consumption	50.3	33.2	12.4	4.1
Conserving and managing natural ecosystems	48.3	36.2	13.0	2.5
Composting, reusing, and recycling consumer goods	45.6	34.6	16.9	2.9
Coastal habitat restoration and resiliency	45.5	32.0	13.4	9.1
Damage to crops, property, and landscapes from wildlife	45.3	37.8	14.0	2.9
Human-wildlife interaction and wildlife health	42.5	38.5	15.6	3.4
Renewable energy	39.7	31.3	20.1	8.9
Forest product market development	39.4	39.0	17.6	4

Table 6. Family, Health, and Wellness priorities ranked by percentage of “very important.” *Note*: Between 2,865 and 2,905 participants responded to each item in this section.
Priority	Very Important	Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Access to affordable, healthy food	70.0	22.8	6.3	0.9
Selection and safe preparation of healthy food	62.5	28.4	7.7	1.4
Mental health, stress management, suicide prevention	59.9	28.1	10.1	1.9
Family relationships and parenting skills	58.0	31.2	9.4	1.4
Substance abuse	58.0	29.1	10.2	2.7
High-quality early childhood care/education	57.3	31.3	9.7	1.7
Supports for families and individuals with special needs	56.9	32.4	9.5	1.2
Injury and violence prevention	56.7	31.2	10.5	1.6
Chronic/infectious disease prevention/management	56.6	30.0	11.2	2.2
Budgeting	54.9	32.8	10.5	1.8
Healthy homes	52.9	33.7	11.8	1.6
Healthy growth and development across the life span	51.1	35.5	11.6	1.8
Retirement and estate planning	49.1	36.5	12.2	2.2
Energy conservation and efficiency	43.8	39.4	14.3	2.5

Table 7. Age ranges of survey respondents. *Note*: Over 42 percent of 2,886 survey respondents were age 50 or older.
Age Range	Percentage
18–24	5.9
25–29	5.3
30–34	6.8
35–39	8.2
40–44	9.3
45–49	9.4
50–54	10.2
55–59	10.1
60–64	11.4
65–69	10.4
70–74	7.7
75+	5.3

Table 8. Sex of survey respondents. *Note*: Over 60 percent of 2,857 survey respondents identified as female.
Sex	Percentage
Female	60.8
Male	37.8
Prefer not to say	1.4

Table 9. Race of survey respondents. *Note*: Over 70 percent of 2,884 survey respondents identified as white.
Race	Percentage
White	73.9
Black or African American	19.3
Prefer not to say	3.4
Two or more races	1.9
American Indian or Alaska Native	0.9
Asian (includes India and Middle East)	0.5
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0.1

Table 10. Hispanic identity of survey respondents. *Note*. Almost 92 percent of 2,882 survey respondents identified as non-Hispanic.
Hispanic?	Percentage
No	91.9
Yes	5.2
Prefer not to say	2.9

Table 11. Highest degree earned by survey respondents. Note: Almost 48 percent of 2,613 survey respondents had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Paid Extension employees were not asked this question.
Degree Earned	Percentage
Less than high school degree	1.9
High school graduate	16.2
Some college, no degree	19.1
Associate degree	14.1
Bachelor’s degree	25.3
Graduate or professional degree	22.3
Prefer not to say	1.2

Table 12. Annual income of survey respondents. Note: Almost 30 percent of 2,609 survey respondents had an annual income of less than $50,000. Paid Extension employees were not asked this question.
Income Range	Percentage
Less than $10,000	3.8
$10,000 to $14,999	3.1
$15,000 to $24,999	5.2
$25,000 to $34,999	7.8
$35,000 to $49,999	9.6
$50,000 to $74,999	14.0
$75,000 to $99,999	13.3
$100,000 to $149,999	17.2
$150,000 to $199,999	9.0
$200,000 or more	6.6
Prefer not to say	10.3

Table 13. Previous use of MSU Extension services or resources by survey respondents. Note: Almost 63 percent of 2,654 survey respondents had used MSU Extension services or resources. Paid Extension employees were not asked this question.
Have Used Resources	Percentage
Yes	62.9
No	31.7
I Don’t Know	5.4

Table 14. Category of survey respondents. Note: Over 91 percent of 3,501 survey responses were from external stakeholders. This includes the paid Qualtrics panel and external stakeholders.
Category	Percentage
External Stakeholders	58.0
Paid Qualtrics Panel	33.2
Paid Extension Employees	8.8

Table 15. Preferred delivery method of 18- to 29-year-old respondents. Note: Between 271 and 279 participants responded to this.
Delivery Method	Percentage of “Very Likely” or “Likely”
Search internet or world wide web	81.7
Watch a how-to video on the internet or social media	78.9
Take an online course over the internet	74.2
Follow social media accounts that post on the topic	71.0
Take an online one-time class through social media	65.7

Table 16. Preferred delivery method of 30- to 44-year-old respondents. Note: Between 574 and 585 participants responded to this.
Delivery Method	Percentage of “Very Likely” or “Likely”
Search the internet or world wide web	87.1
Watch a how-to video on the internet or social media	83.2
Take an online course over the internet	77.9
Follow social media accounts that post on the topic	70.5
Watch a how-to TV show	68.4

Table 17. Preferred delivery method of 45- to 59-year-old respondents. *Note*: Between 721 and 732 participants responded to this question.
Delivery Method	Percentage of “Very Likely” or “Likely”
Search the internet or world wide web	90.5
Watch a how-to video on the internet or social media	83.8
Attend a single meeting or workshop	73.4
Take an online course over the internet	70.0
Watch a how-to TV show	70.0

Table 18. Preferred delivery method of 60 years and older respondents. Note: Between 935 and 947 participants responded to this question.
Delivery Method	Percentage of “Very Likely” or “Likely”
Search the internet or world wide web	86.5
Watch a how-to video on the internet or social media	74.0
Attend a single meeting or workshop	69.0
Watch a how-to TV show	66.0
Pick up a brochure or flyer at a store or other display	64.9

Table 19. Number of survey respondents by county. Note: There were 3,501 total responses to the survey. Of those, 620 did not select a specific county.
County	Number of Respondents
Adams	22
Alcorn	30
Amite	15
Attala	35
Benton	9
Bolivar	52
Calhoun	39
Carroll	12
Chickasaw	15
Choctaw	39
Claiborne	4
Clarke	20
Clay	40
Coahoma	24
Copiah	19
Covington	15
DeSoto	98
Forrest	73
Franklin	21
George	27
Greene	8
Grenada	200
Hancock	86
Harrison	178
Hinds	148
Holmes	25
Humphreys	9
Issaquena	3
Itawamba	18
Jackson	103
Jasper	10
Jefferson	3
Jefferson Davis	19
Jones	34
Kemper	18
Lafayette	37
Lamar	39
Lauderdale	45
Lawrence	15
Leake	9
Lee	78
Leflore	24
Lincoln	14
Lowndes	60
Madison	50
Marion	17
Marshall	19
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians	8
Monroe	39
Montgomery	37
Neshoba	15
Newton	31
Noxubee	9
Oktibbeha	134
Panola	18
Pearl River	131
Perry	16
Pike	22
Pontotoc	42
Prentiss	25
Quitman	8
Rankin	67
Scott	26
Sharkey	9
Simpson	17
Smith	7
Stone	35
Sunflower	23
Tallahatchie	18
Tate	13
Tippah	17
Tishomingo	9
Tunica	11
Union	17
Walthall	14
Warren	41
Washington	45
Wayne	13
Webster	20
Wilkinson	6
Winston	26
Yalobusha	15
Yazoo	19

Publication 4130-70 (10-26)

By Donna J. Peterson, PhD, Extension Professor, Extension Administration; Tia M. Gregory, Program Manager, Human Sciences; and Molly E. Campbell, Extension Project Specialist I, Extension Administration.

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2024 Mississippi Statewide Needs Assessment Survey

About This Report

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