Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Reilly, Jack

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

In the United States, increasing attention has been paid to the urban and rural divide. Some scholars have explained this difference in attitudes by region as the “politics of resentment,” or as an “empathy wall”. Residents in rural areas feel politically excluded, and without access to the resources enjoyed by urbanites, leading to an affinity for anti-government, conservative candidates. One might expect Canadians to illustrate a similar pattern of rural resentment. This study addresses rural consciousness, along with the importance of trust in framing vote choice and applies it to Canadian politics. In using the 2011 Comparative Provincial Election Project, I find that in Canada, voters in the East are more liberal than voters in the Prairies and Alberta. Additionally, I find that living in a self-identified rural community makes Canadian voters more likely to be conservative, but only if they live in more conservative provinces. Finally, this study points to need for surveys to address political attitudes to better address these questions in quantitative research. Ruralism, even after controlling for demographic variables, is a significant predictor of vote choice in Canada.

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