Europeans’ Attitudes Toward the Goals of Agricultural Policy: A Case of Rural–Urban Divide?

Abstract

Is there a rural–urban divide in citizens’ views on European Union agricultural policy? We argue that the place of residence influences a person’s attitude toward agricultural policy issues. More precisely, we postulate that rural populations are less likely to view environmental and climate action, and sustainable food production as key objectives of agricultural policy; instead, we hypothesize they are more likely to indicate job growth in rural areas and ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers as key objectives. We analyze data from a Special Eurobarometer survey fielded in 2020 for 24,328 individuals living in 27 European Union member states. Multilevel mixed-effect logit models reveal the place of residence (urban–peri-urban–rural) as a significant predictor of the respondents’ attitudes for almost all dimensions of agricultural policy. The differences are most striking for environmental and climate-related aspects of agricultural policy, as well as for its goal of generating economic growth and jobs in rural areas. From this, we conclude there is a rural–urban divide concerning agricultural policy, which policymakers should be aware of and attempt to address.