The psychological basis of the urban–rural divide: Evidence from Germany

Over the past decade, scholarly attention to the political relevance of “place” has increased, especially regarding the far right and in the contexts of Europe and the United States. Within the field, the urban-rural divide is of particular interest. While rural areas often display more right-leaning attitudes than urban ones, it remains uncertain whether these differences constitute a full-fledged cleavage, as this would require not just socio-structural conflict and political mobilisation but also a collective identity. Using Germany as a case study, this article investigates the psychological underpinnings of the urban–rural divide and its intersection with the division between the eastern and the western regions of Germany. The findings reveal a strong asymmetry: rural residents express stronger place-based identification and perceive greater conflict than urban citizens. In addition, we find that exclusively eastern identities are more prevalent than exclusively western ones, and that the urban–rural and the East–West cleavages operate independently. These results underscore the importance of analysing multiple geographic cleavages jointly and contribute new insights into the emotional and perceptual foundations of spatial divides in Germany.