Rural and small-town Americans in the South, Midwest and Great Plains support a pro-active agenda of investment in job training, education, renewable energy and infrastructure, a new poll shows, but they feel even more strongly about cutting taxes and regulations, and want government to be more efficient and effective.
“They don’t feel that it’s contradictory, nor do I,” said Republican pollster Ed Goeas, who did the survey with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. “It is too simplistic to believe that rural America is anti-government, . . . They do believe they are not receiving fair treatment that other areas of America are receiving. . . . They think they are being ignored in favor of the people on the cities.”
"Neither the conservative nor progressive ideological perspective has it right,” Lake told the 2013 gathering of the National Rural Assembly, where the results were presented for the first time. She and Goeas said rural Americans also think they are ignored by politicians.
The pollsters found that rural America retains a strong streak of populism driven by distrust of anything big: government, cities, bank and other businesses, labor and news media, Goeas said. And that even applies to big agriculture; asked to rate their agreement with that statement "Too much of federal farm subsidies go to the largest farms, hurting small family farms," on a 1-10 scale, 36 percent replied "10" and 57 percent replied 8, 9 or 10.
Lake said rural Americans also show an entrepreneurial streak, and want government to help small businesses and first-time farmers. They do not want farm subsidies cut, and strongly reject diverting subsidies to other rural spending. "The strongest message highlights smaller government but the next strongest is 'investing more' to bring technology to rural America and betting business started," the pollsters said in a written summary.
"Rural America is an important value and lifestyle, and they want it to survive," Goeas said. "This ran all through the data. … They think it may be coming to an end, and they want to reverse it and revitalize rural America." One of the strongest endorsements in the poll was for the statement “The rural and small-town way of life is worth fighting for and protecting.”
Lake and Goeas conducted the poll for the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs of 804 registered voters living in rural communities and small towns in the South, Great Plains and Midwest from May 28 through June 3. Chuck Hassebrook, director of the center, said the West and Northeast were not polled because they wanted to break out the results by region and doing the whole country would have been too expensive. Each region constituted one-third of the sample. Those surveyed categorized themselves as living in a rural area or small-town as opposed to a city or suburb.
Hassebrook said the results show strong support in rural America for economic-development programs, contrary to what most elected officials representing rural areas think. "When you think about the Farm Bill debate, rural America and rural communities are really an afterthought," he said.
Other findings in the poll: 66 percent of voters said they support the National Rifle Association, while 25 percent said they do not; 42 percent said they were born again 42, and 45 percent said they were not; 11 percent said they rely mainly on farming, ranching or agriculture for their income; 7 percent said they rely only on those pursuits. For a PowerPoint presentation giving details of the poll, click here.
“They don’t feel that it’s contradictory, nor do I,” said Republican pollster Ed Goeas, who did the survey with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. “It is too simplistic to believe that rural America is anti-government, . . . They do believe they are not receiving fair treatment that other areas of America are receiving. . . . They think they are being ignored in favor of the people on the cities.”
"Neither the conservative nor progressive ideological perspective has it right,” Lake told the 2013 gathering of the National Rural Assembly, where the results were presented for the first time. She and Goeas said rural Americans also think they are ignored by politicians.
The pollsters found that rural America retains a strong streak of populism driven by distrust of anything big: government, cities, bank and other businesses, labor and news media, Goeas said. And that even applies to big agriculture; asked to rate their agreement with that statement "Too much of federal farm subsidies go to the largest farms, hurting small family farms," on a 1-10 scale, 36 percent replied "10" and 57 percent replied 8, 9 or 10.
Lake said rural Americans also show an entrepreneurial streak, and want government to help small businesses and first-time farmers. They do not want farm subsidies cut, and strongly reject diverting subsidies to other rural spending. "The strongest message highlights smaller government but the next strongest is 'investing more' to bring technology to rural America and betting business started," the pollsters said in a written summary.
"Rural America is an important value and lifestyle, and they want it to survive," Goeas said. "This ran all through the data. … They think it may be coming to an end, and they want to reverse it and revitalize rural America." One of the strongest endorsements in the poll was for the statement “The rural and small-town way of life is worth fighting for and protecting.”
Lake and Goeas conducted the poll for the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs of 804 registered voters living in rural communities and small towns in the South, Great Plains and Midwest from May 28 through June 3. Chuck Hassebrook, director of the center, said the West and Northeast were not polled because they wanted to break out the results by region and doing the whole country would have been too expensive. Each region constituted one-third of the sample. Those surveyed categorized themselves as living in a rural area or small-town as opposed to a city or suburb.
Hassebrook said the results show strong support in rural America for economic-development programs, contrary to what most elected officials representing rural areas think. "When you think about the Farm Bill debate, rural America and rural communities are really an afterthought," he said.
Other findings in the poll: 66 percent of voters said they support the National Rifle Association, while 25 percent said they do not; 42 percent said they were born again 42, and 45 percent said they were not; 11 percent said they rely mainly on farming, ranching or agriculture for their income; 7 percent said they rely only on those pursuits. For a PowerPoint presentation giving details of the poll, click here.
"Hassebrook said the results show strong support in rural America for economic-development programs, contrary to what most elected officials representing rural areas think."
ReplyDeleteYet rural areas overwhelmingly vote for Republican candidates, who when they are in office vote to protect big ag/big business, and cut economic development programs and assistance for small farms. In WA state, proportionally more tax money goes to rural counties, supported by urban counties.
I have always been a supporter of agriculture and small farms, but am frustrated at the politicians they elect.