friday, September 26, 1930
perspectives
page 7
Studies cite boost to city
of additional UNL dollars
By John Hopgood
In the 60$ some students rejected the
consumption patterns of their parents and
perhaps consumption itself.
Today however the so-called "me
generation seems, to have eschewed the
"less is more values of the 60s and is
conspicuously consuming nearly $26
billion a year worth of everything from
designer jeans to customized vans.
Consequently the very presence of
more than 20,000 UNL students in Lincoln
is having a "major' impact on the city's
economy according to two recent studies
of the spending habits of the University's
faculty staff and students.
In a study conducted last spring by Bel
den Associates, a Texas firm, it was learned
that with approximately 22,000 students,
total UNL student market value is around
$2.38 million per month or well over $21
million over nine minths.
Ten percent of all UNL students survey
ed spent $300 or more beyond tuition,
room and board every month, the survey
reports. The average expenditure, however,
was $108 monthly.
ALMOST HALF of all students carry at
least one credit card while 95 percent of
the faculty taf fuse them.
Among students, 44 percent have
savings accounts and 47 percent have
checking accounts with Lincoln banks.
More than 95 percent of faculty and staff
at UNL have both types of accounts here.
Most students shop downtown, but 64
percent go to Gateway at least once a
month and almost one-third shop at the
Glass Menagerie and Gunny's shopping
complexes monthly.
The study points out that students
eat out frequently , as 75 percent report
ed eating in a restaurant once a week.
Students go to movies often, "hold
the key" to the recordtape market, and
spend more than $100 yearly on athletic
equipment, the report said.
The study goes on to say that 70 per
cent own stereos, 60 percent have tele
vision sets, 69 percent own cameras, more
than 20 percent made at least six pleasure
trips of over 150 miles in the past year and
90 percent own typewriters.
IN ANOTHER study done by UNL's
Bureau of Business Research last October,
the impact of UNL is reported to be "wide
spread, extending to every major sector of
Lincoln's economy, including local
business, local households, and local
government."
According to the study students spend
more than $84 million in Lincoln yearly.
UNL employees pump an additional
$46 million into Lincoln's economy
annually.
The study, which presents estimates of
the impact of NU's roles as an employer,
buyer of good and services, and taxpayer,
draws its conclusions from university, city
and state records, as well as interviews and
a sample survey of staff and students.
A major assumption of the study is that
every dollar spent in Lincoln generates
more dollars, thereby increasing the value
of the original dollar. The report cites the
example of a student who pays $100 in
rent to a Lincoln landlord who in turn
uses part of the payment to purchase ser
vices and supplies from local businesses. A
ure-spending chain" is created and
continues indefinitely.
THIS "MULTIPLIER effect is estimat
ed to have a value of 1.75, causing the total
impact of the student's original $100 to be
estimated at $175. The total expenditure
impact of UNL as measured by the multi
plier is put at $228.4 million annually.
Highlights of the report include the
following:
-Students constitute approximately 8.5
percent of the total personal income of the
Lincoln metropolitan area.
-UNL provides jobs for eight percent of
the Lincoln work force. 8,925 persons
work for UNL.
-UNL generates an estimated $262.5
million total spending impact upon the
Lincoln area, or 16 percent of Lincoln's
personal income.
It is estimated that attendance at public
events provided by UNL totaled nearly
one million persons during the 1976-77
year. UNL employees received 59,000 visit
ors and students received an additional
93,000 visitors during the 1978-79 year.
These visitors spent $34.1 million in
Lincoln.
THE UNIVERSITY community contri
buted $1.6 million in sales taxes. This is
about 182 percent of the total city sales
tax collections and 2.1 percent of Nebras
ka sales tax revenues.
Property-taxes totaling $3.8 million
were paid to the city by UNL-related
spending.
The findings of the bureau's two sample
surveys include the following points:
The facultystaff survey revealed that
average expenditures per household were
over $1,000 monthly.
Food expenditures accounted for more
than 21 percent of faculty staff expendi- "
tuxes. Rent or house payments were a close
second, accounting for 20 percent of total
spending. The third largest expenditures
were for automobiles.
THE STUDENT survey found that, in
aggregate, students spent more than faculty
and staff members on housing, utilities,
food and beverages, automobiles, cleaning
laundry, clothing, entertainment, furniture,
bus service, books and journals, magazines
and newspapers, personal items and
miscellaneous spending.
About 43 percent of the students live
on campus, 42 percent rent or own off
campus housing, and 14 percent live with
parents.
Students reported that their most
common source of income was personal
savings, followed by employment in the
Lincoln area. 94 percent reported having
worked in the meU area during the
past year and more than half of the
married students had spouses who worked.
Students spent an average of $415.88
per month.
Students spent three times the amount
spent by faculty and staff on housing,
$29.3 million compared to $9,4 million.
More than one-third of student incomes
went for housing, while food costs were a
distant second, accounting for 17,8 percent
of total expenditures.
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