The Grass Is Always Greener: The Role Of Rurality In Economic Perceptions

Leslie, Jill

Publication

The Grass Is Always Greener: The Role Of Rurality In Economic Perceptions

Leslie, Jill

Date

2018

Additional date(s)

2018-05-19

Abstract

Cultural, political and economic divisions between rural and urban communities are steadily growing in our nation. President Donald Trump's surprising electoral victory was in part attributed to rural resentment. Previous scholars such as Katherine Cramer have studied rural residents' perceptions of economic disadvantage, inattention from legislators, and cultural differences in comparison to urban residents. This paper will expand upon this research to analyze rural resentment as it pertains to perceptions of the national economy and vote choice in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 presidential elections. Statistical analyses revealed that rurality was correlated with pessimistic views of the national economy, particularly in 2012 and 2016. Further, among all economically pessimistic voters, rural voters were more inclined to vote for the Republican presidential candidate than urban voters in 2012 and 2016. The findings suggest that rural culture is something to be considered in analyzing political ideology.