Nebraska is known as a “red state,” but data from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Bureau of Sociological Research indicates the state is more politically diverse than the moniker suggests.

That’s according to the latest Nebraska Snapshot, a bi-monthly report using data from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey, which gathered opinions from 2,232 Nebraskans during summer and fall 2024. 

Statewide, about two in five Nebraskans report having conservative or very conservative political views, while 34% say they are middle-of-the-road and 25% hold very liberal or liberal views. 

Similarly, 41% of Nebraskans also self-identified as Republican, 28% reported being a Democrat and 31% reported as independent or other.

When broken down by age, gender or place of residence, Nebraskans’ political views are more disparate.

The largest variance among Nebraska residents regarding political views is tied to place of home residence. Among residents who live in the open country or on a farm, 64% said they hold conservative or very conservative views, while only 8% reported liberal or very liberal views. The responses for town or city residents were more closely split, with 29% reporting very liberal or liberal views, 35% claiming middle-of-the-road views, and 36% reporting conservative or very conservative views. 

Meanwhile, 68% of those living in open country or on a farm said they were Republican, with 13% saying Democrat and 19% describing themselves as independent or other. For town or city residents, 35% said they were Republican, 31% said they were Democrat and 34% said they were independent or other. 

Kristen Labadie | University Communication and Marketing

A larger portion of younger residents, aged 19-44, identify as liberal or very liberal, or middle of the road — 36% and 32% respectively — compared to 32% who consider themselves conservative or very conservative. The share of conservative and very conservative responses increases in the 45-64 age group, with 42% describing their views as conservative or very conservative, and for those 65-plus, just more than half, or 51%, are conservative or very conservative. 

More Nebraskans aged 19-44 reported aligning as an independent or other party — at 39% — compared to the 27% who said they were Democrats and 34% who stated Republican. In the oldest age group, 65 and up, 51% said they were Republican, contrasting with 26% who claimed the Democratic Party and 23% who said they were independent or another party.

More Nebraskan men than women say their political views are very conservative or conservative, with 46% of men reporting those political views, in contrast with 36% of women who say they hold very conservative or conservative views. More women have very liberal or liberal views at 27%, compared to men, of which 23% reported having very liberal or liberal views. But when asked about political party, the responses were more evenly split with 41% of men and 42% of women saying they were Republican and 29% of men and 27% of women saying they were Democrat.

The full Nebraska Snapshot series, which has explored Nebraskans’ overall satisfaction with living in the state, their financial health, internet access, mental health and other topics, can be accessed online. To include research questions on the next NASIS, email BOSR at bosr@unl.edu.