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Rural Americans have an outsized impact on national environmental policy in the United States, from strong representation in the halls of Congress to management of vast swaths of lands and watersheds. In 2009 and 2010, resistance from rural constituencies played an important role in blocking federal climate change legislation
In February, Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions published a report that found a divide between rural voters and their urban and suburban counterparts on attitudes toward the environment and conservation. The split was centered not on who values the environment more, but differences in views toward government regulation.
Researchers from the Nicholas Institute and the University of Rhode Island have issued a follow-up report that focuses on rural Americans' attitudes toward climate change in the United States. The report features polling and focus group interviews conducted by Hart Research Associates and New Bridge Strategy.
The Nicholas Institute is hosting a webinar with the researchers and pollsters behind these reports. The speakers will discuss their findings and answer questions from the audience.
Registration is required to join the webinar via Zoom video conferencing. An email will be sent to registrants through Zoom with a link and instructions for logging into the webinar. Reminders will be sent to all registrants one day and one hour before the start of the webinar.
For more information, read:
- February 2020 report: "Understanding Rural Attitudes Toward the Environment and Conservation in America"
- July 2020 report: "Rural Attitudes on Climate Change: Lessons from National and Midwest Polling and Focus Groups"
- July 2020 report: "Attitudes of Rural Westerners on the Environment and Conservation"
