• Marshall Plan for Rural America?

• A Rural Perspective

• Who Will Miss Them?

• Education Case Study

• Who Plays?

• Existential Pete, Chapter One

• Existential Pete, Chapter Two

• Existential Pete, Chapter Three

• Perceptions of Rural America

Americans have strongly held positive opinions about rural people and places, according to a report(PDF) from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation . But those opinions are often based on misconceptions about the reality of life in the countryside.

Because perception informs policy, the nation's response to rural America's challenges may not be as helpful as it could be.

On the positive side, both rural and urban residents associate the countryside with values such as

	hard work,
	a strong sense of family,
	commitment to their communities,
	deeply held religious beliefs, and
	self-sufficiency.

Americans think of the countryside as a place where residents are more likely to engage in simple but rewarding lifestyles. They generally consider people who live outside the nation's urban areas to be less concerned about material possessions and more concerned about family, spiritual matters, and community.

Overall, 84 percent of the people who participated in the Kellogg Foundation's study held positive opinions about rural America. A separate sample (PDF) of members of the U.S. Congress (91 KB, PDF) largely reinforced these positive images of rural America as did a third study (PDF) of state legislators.

These positive perceptions of rural America are a powerful foundation on which to build a discussion about the value and role of non-urban areas in the nation's society and economy. But beneath this veneer of high regard lies misconceptions of how rural communities function, or don't, and what they need to rebuild and sustain their economic health.

A case in point is the common misconception about the role of agriculture in rural areas. Americans overwhelmingly think farming is the predominate economic force in non-urban areas. In fact, of the nation's 60 million rural residents, less than 2 percent earn their primary living from farming. Agriculture overall - including processing and marketing jobs - accounts for less than 12 percent of rural employment.

The single largest economic sector in rural America are service industries, which provide more than half of non-metropolitan jobs. The service and manufacturing sectors combined account for two-thirds of rural employment.

If rural communities are going to survive the sweeping economic changes of the 21st century, national policy must better reflect the true economic nature of non-metropolitan America. One place to start this conversation is through public information campaigns that paint an accurate picture of rural communities and their needs.