Real or Imagined? American Urban-Rural Differences in Political Values

Differences in values theoretically underlie urban-rural political division. However, it is unclear whether this division is real or perceived. This distinction matters because politically discordant groups can more easily reconcile if they share common goals and values, whereas highly divergent value systems can make compromise more difficult. Using data from original surveys of US adults, we examine whether urban versus rural residents vary in how important they rate seven core political values. We find no consistent differences between metropolitan and rural/small-town residents, suggesting urban-rural value differences may be more perceived. However, we do find distinct and substantial political value differences for rural identity versus urban identity for freedom, individualism, social order, and morality. These results suggest that Americans largely share political values across the urban-rural spectrum, which provides an avenue for common ground in this split. However, place-based identities may have somewhat disparate value systems that could impact the durability of their political division.