Q&A with Will Stewart, Executive Director, Stay Work Play

By Rosemary Ford and Melanie Matts

NH PBS

Click here to watch the full conversation on The State We’re In

It’s no secret that the average age of a Granite State resident skews a little older than most states. That has an impact on New Hampshire – and not always a positive one. It affects several sectors of life here, from housing and education to the economy. For years, several organizations and government entities have tried to find ways to welcome more young people to the state or get the ones here to stay.

On this week’s episode of The State We’re In, we dive into this issue with Will Stewart, Executive Director at the nonprofit Stay Work Play NH. Will’s organization recently teamed up with the Saint Anselm College Survey Center to conduct a survey checking in with young residents about their quality-of-life. Are young people satisfied with their quality of life in New Hampshire? Is the Granite State welcoming to young people and young families? We discuss the study’s interesting findings and what our state can do to lower the average age of our citizens.

This following transcript has been edited for clarity and length

Melanie Plenda:

Can you start by telling us about Stay Work Play and your mission as an organization.

Will Stewart:

Stay Work Play is a statewide nonprofit whose mission is to attract and retain more young people here in the Granite State. We do this by marketing and branding New Hampshire as a place of opportunity for young people, as well as engaging in nonpartisan, issues-based advocacy on public policies that affect the attraction and retention of young people here.

Melanie Plenda:

Why do we want more young people in New Hampshire? Why is that important?

Will Stewart:

We need more people in New Hampshire in general, but more young people in particular because we need more people to do all of the things upon which we depend. We have one of the lowest employment rates in the country right now are the number one exporter of high school graduates seeking a four year degree – nearly two of three leave the state to pursue a bachelor's, and while some of them come back a lot of them don't. Just by average age, we're the second oldest state in the country. Even pre pandemic our employers here were screaming for workers, and that's only been exacerbated during the pandemic. Our employers and our communities need people to do everything, from serving on planning and zoning boards, to our nonprofits needing board and committee members, our civic clubs need members to do their work, our houses of worship need people to pass the plate on Saturday and Sunday. Everything we depend on in this state requires people, and we just don't have enough right now. So certainly going into the future this is a priority, not just for our future success but really to just to keep us afloat.

Melanie Plenda:

What were some of the key findings from the survey you conducted? Both the positives and the areas for improvement?

Will Stewart:

We'll start at a very high level. What we found was a peak in a valley effect when it comes to satisfaction with New Hampshire's quality of life, and that depends on where one is on the 20 to 40 spectrum. We found that those in their early 20s who are in school or in their first jobs, and have likely spent their childhoods in New Hampshire, have a pretty positive opinion of the state – especially when it comes to playing and staying. But that satisfaction does begin to decline for those in their mid 20s to early 30s, when they're getting their second or third jobs and they want to begin to build their careers and earn a sufficient salary to be able to start a family, buy a house. They look around and question if they'll be able to do that here in New Hampshire and have the quality of life they want. In their mid-to-late 30s however, those numbers begin to rebound and we get back up to a peak, as people become a bit more established in their careers and families and have a stronger focus on quality of life issues, like the environment and safety and things where New Hampshire really shines. Overall, the areas that need improvement are housing, childcare, nightlife, social life, the very-important dating scene, and public transportation.

Melanie Plenda:

Stay Work Play conducted a similar survey back in 2017. Have any of these areas changed since the 2017 survey?

Will Stewart:

Not drastically, though the big question is still kind of out there as to what extent the pandemic did affect the data. We know that nationwide there's increased pessimism on a number of fronts, and we think that's played out in this data a bit as well. What we do know is that COVID has had an amplification of fact – it has amplified what New Hampshire is known for, those durable traits like the outdoors, our recreational opportunities, safety, the environment, while also amplifying those negatives that I mentioned where New Hampshire has traditionally been seen as lacking: nightlife, culture, childcare, social life, housing, and transportation.

Melanie Plenda:

Did any of the results surprise you? Why or why not?

Will Stewart:

There was one big surprise, and that's what we refer to as the loneliness index, which has fallen significantly. Back in 2017, we found that 21% of respondents reported having zero friends in close proximity to them, but that percentage dropped to 11%. Additionally, 66% of respondents reported having four plus friends in close proximity to them – a 17-point jump over 2017. So great news on that front. We're looking to dig into the why a little bit more. Some of the early conversations we've had around it really center back to the people. Post-pandemic, you really appreciate social connections and being able to connect with other people, which we didn't get to do for much of 2020 and 2021. So maybe there's been a renewed focus on people getting out there making those connections and being closer with others.

Melanie Plenda:

What regions of NH were people most satisfied living in? What factors play into those areas having a higher quality of life satisfaction?

Will Stewart:

Satisfaction with life in New Hampshire was highest in the Merrimack Valley and the Sea Coast, with 89% and 86% respectively saying they were satisfied with life. On the other side, the lowest satisfaction was in the North Country and the Lakes Region where only 63% of young Granite Staters said they were satisfied with the quality of life. And you know, these types of things are subjective by nature – you're asking about quality of life and what that means to different people. But with that caveat, I'll say we know things like job and career opportunities, dating and social opportunities, and entertainment options make a big difference.

Melanie Plenda:

What are some of the reasons young people reported wanting to leave NH? And why did they report wanting to stay?

Will Stewart:

The word ‘opportunity’ was the most cited when we asked respondents to describe the primary reason they might consider moving out of state. Also aggregating to a significant factor were words like ‘weather’, ‘warmer’, ‘climate’, and ‘cold’. ‘Housing’ was also listed as a key reason for leaving, as well as ‘property taxes’. The number one reason people wanted to stay was family – that was the dominant reason and nothing else even came close. Family really does root people in their communities.

Melanie Plenda:

Now that we have this data, what are the next steps? What needs to be done to improve the quality of life here in NH?

Will Stewart:

From Stay Work Play’s perspective, we're looking to share this data as widely as we can across the state to raise awareness about the challenges facing young people in New Hampshire in 2023. And then we want to dig into the data a little bit more. We know how young people feel about life in New Hampshire, but we want to learn more about why they feel the way they do about these different aspects as it relates to quality of life. To do that we're holding focus groups across the state this fall to dig down a little deeper. The focus groups’ anecdotal data combined with the survey data will help us as an organization to refine our strategic plan moving forward, as well as to inform our issues-based nonpartisan advocacy program to advance public policies that will make New Hampshire more attractive and conducive to young people. I think there are two ways of looking at this: what's needed so that young people can stay, and what’s needed so that more of them want to stay. On both fronts, housing tops that list – being able to have more housing, and specifically more housing that's affordable to young people in their careers. We also need to focus on making childcare more accessible and more affordable, making the state more welcoming to young people of color, protecting our outdoor assets – one of the big reasons people stay here, for the outdoors – and tackling the high cost of higher education here in the state.

Melanie Plenda:

In addition to different policy strategies, what can communities at a local level do to bring more young people in, get them more involved, and make them feel more welcome? Are there things that the average person can do in their community and local municipalities?

Will Stewart:

We all need to do a better job of being more proactive at inviting people in and inviting them to take part – and I do mean we all, individually, as communities, as a state, as employers, as any type of institution to which anyone might be a member. Sometimes it can be as simple as letting people know what opportunities exist and how they can get involved. There's strong data nationwide showing that the Millennial and especially Gen Z generations want to get involved, they want to help, they really value making a difference. But sometimes a lot of us are just waiting to be asked. It's not enough to put some opportunities on a town website, or say it's out there and that's enough. We need to be actively recruiting and saying, yes, we want your involvement in helping us make a change and make a difference.

The State We’re in a weekly digital public affairs show is produced by NH PBS and The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications. It is shared with partners in the Granite State News Collaborative, of which both organizations are members.