Research Article

Awareness and Usage of Extension and Outreach Programs

Julian M. Worley(a), William B. Banks(a), William Secor(a), Benjamin L. Campbella(a)
(a)University of Georgia

JEL Codes: Q16
Keywords: Cooperative extension, outreach programs, extension awareness

Publish Date: January 15, 2024

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Abstract

Extension takes many forms, with a common thread to provide scientific information to a diverse audience on a variety of topics. This research examines awareness and use of Extension-related information from different entities (e.g., state Departments of Agriculture, private businesses, and other public entities), overall experience with Extension output from different entities, and use of different types of Cooperative Extension programming (e.g., youth development, food safety, and animal production). Using data from a 2021 survey of around 4,000 U.S. residents, most respondents were aware of or used information from a variety of sources and were not limited to their own state Extension and outreach sources. Depending on the program area, around 30–40 percent of respondents were interested but not using or attending Extension or outreach programming. Several demographic factors were associated with higher or lower awareness and use including age, race, gender, political affiliation, urbanicity, and connection to agriculture. Respondents found information and Extension agents to be somewhat reliable to extremely reliable. Finding ways to motivate

About the Author: Julian M. Worley is a Former Graduate Research Assistant with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at University of Georgia. William B. Banks is a Former Graduate Research Assistant with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia. William Secor is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia. Benjamin L. Campbell is an Associate Professor with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia (bencamp@uga.edu) Acknowledgements: This work is part of Project LAMP (www.hortlamp.org) and is supported by SCRI grant no. 2018-51181-28365 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The research was deemed exempt (Project 00003319) by the University of Georgia Human Subjects Office.

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