Religion remains an important part of American culture as our population grows and our values evolve. Although we are seeing small decreases in the level of religiosity among Americans, religion remains an undeniably important aspect of the current population. Religion informs a person’s beliefs, values, and actions. It is especially intriguing to explore how these examples manifest in democracy.

Coming from a small city in rural Kansas, I have been exposed to a particular set of voters that not everyone has access to. I have spent a considerable amount of time with rural voters, who hold different opinions on the role of the government, our politicians, and the state of our nation today than urban voters do. In my conversations with this demographic, I have discovered that religion often plays a role in their decisions at the polls.

This is what initially sparked my interest in this topic. What role does religion have on rural voters, and does the same phenomenon occur in urban voters? One can draw a connection between the high levels of religiosity in rural America and the consistently growing red votes in these same areas. However, the answer to these questions is more than just these two statistics. I plan to explore these relationships throughout my research.

My background in sociology has also inspired me to examine how rural and urban communities are affected differently by their voting patterns. I am familiar with the challenges of inadequate healthcare, economic instability, and environmental crises that plague rural America. My research will follow through to see the effects of these votes. Are the concerns of rural voters being heard, or are communities still struggling? I hypothesize that rural communities have no policy addressing these issues.

Beginning my research, I have been most interested in what constitutes the “rural identity.” Government agencies cannot seem to agree on what defines a community as rural. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) suggests that 13.8% of Americans live in non-urban or rural communities (1). In contrast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (ERS) suggests that 28.4% of Americans live in non-urban or rural communities (2). However, my research thus far has shown me that self-identification is the most important indicator of a rural community. Although some individuals may not reside in a designated rural area, they still share a sense of identity with rural America based on their experiences. This place-based identity tells us much more about voting patterns than the locality. It has been interesting to explore how the rural identity is formed.

Author: Reese Kimmi

1. NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties, National Center for Health Statistics, 2024.

2. Redefining Urban Areas following the 2020 Census, U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division, 2022.