Urban-rural conflict over environmental policy in the Western United States

Abstract

There has been considerable debate within the literature over the degree to which environmental conflict in the Western United States stems from tensions between urban and rural areas. A number of scholars have suggested that such conflict exists throughout the West; others have argued either that this urban-rural conflict does not exist or that conflict over environmental preferences stems from factors other than place of residence. This study uses voting on statewide environmental ballot measures, with counties as the unit of analysis, to investigate whether voters in urban and rural areas express different levels of support for environmental protection. When such differences are found, the study offers explanations. Findings suggest that urban counties do vote in support of environmental protection at significantly higher levels than rural counties but that demographic variables and economic conditions are more influential in determining those levels of support than is the urban or rural nature of the county.