Source: The Washington Post
Washington Post maintains that the political divide in America is more largely a result of a cultural divide, rather than an economic divide, “rooted in rural residents’ deep misgivings about the nation’s rapidly changing demographics.”
The article highlights religion as one of the biggest factors, as rural Christian groups develop a sense that their religion is “under siege” while generally agreeing that the federal government prioritizes urban residents’ needs over those of rural residents.
A 2017 survey by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that those living in urban areas feel less like their values are “very different” from people living in rural areas; on the other than, people who live in rural areas generally felt their values were “very different” from those of urbanites.
“Being from a rural area, everyone looks out for each other,” said Ryan Lawson, who grew up in northern Wisconsin. “People, in my experience, in cities are not as compassionate toward their neighbor as people in rural parts,” he told Washington Post.
“Rural Americans express far more concern about jobs in their communities, but the poll finds that those concerns have little connection to support for Trump, a frequent theory to explain his rise in 2016,” reported the Washington Post.
Still, many expressed concerns over a lack of jobs.
Yet data indicates that the actual percentage of unemployment in rural areas is only a few points higher than in urban areas – 5.3 percent unemployment, versus 4.8 percent in urban areas.
Read full story at: The Washington Post