How green is my valley? Tracking rural and urban environmentalism in the Southern Appalachian Ecoregion

Research on the social bases of environmentalism in the United States has g enerally found that urban residents are more concerned about the environmen t than rural residents. Recent research suggests this may no longer be the case, particularly in specific settings or under certain conditions. This p aper examines the issue by reviewing recent survey research on rural and ur ban environmentalism. Tests for significant differences between urban and r ural inhabitants of the Southern Ap palachian Ecoregion on cognitive and be havioral dimensions of environmentalism are also conducted using data obtai ned fi-om 1,239 telephone interviews. Findings are consistent with previous research showing that younger people, those with higher levels of educatio n, and political liberals generally express higher levels of environmentali sm. However, no significant rural-urban differences were found on several i ndicators of environmentalism. A range of conditions that are rapidly chang ing the character and composition of the region may help to explain why the findings do not conform to the general pattern of rural-urban differences. Overall, it appears that environmentalism has broadened its appeal in rura l areas, especially in communities located near national and state parks, w ildlife refuges, and other outdoor recreation sites.