Urban–rural political divide
In political science, the urban–rural political divide is a phenomenon in which predominantly urban areas and predominantly rural areas within a country have sharply diverging political views. It is a form of political polarization. Typically, urban areas exhibit more liberal, left-wing, cosmopolitan, and/or multiculturalist political attitudes, while rural areas exhibit more conservative, right-wing, right-wing populist, and/or nationalist political attitudes.
An urban–rural political divide has been observed worldwide in many nations including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Hungary, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Political divisions between urban and rural areas have been noted by political scientists and journalists to have intensified in the 21st century, and in particular since the Great Recession. In Europe, the increasing urban–rural polarization has coincided with the decline of centre-left parties and concomitant rise of far-right and populist parties, a trend known as Pasokification.