Added confidence to focus on rural
Katherine said: “Our findings suggest that most people, even in towns and cities, are potentially supportive of rural investment when it is framed engagingly.
“With a new Government in place, our research should give added confidence to focus on rural issues and places and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to present it on a national stage at RSN’s conference.”
When shown a range of arguments for investing in rural areas, more than three quarters (76-77%) of the adults in England polled by YouGov as part of NICRE’s research supported putting more resources into those areas, compared to those who were against it (less than 5%).
Even where the trade-off between rural and urban investment was explicit, almost three times as many people (40-44%) supported rural investment than opposed (14-16%) it.
Further evidence from the research suggests the strongest cases for rural investment address the challenges head-on, avoid rhetoric or creating a ‘rural and urban divide’, and as part of a call for access to basic services wherever in the country someone lives.
Respondents to the YouGov poll were shown one of four ‘framing’ statements which positioned rural investment in a way to connect it emotionally with an audience, as based on evidence from focus groups with members of the public. The groups suggested people engaged most with rural issues when advocates used straightforward language, and worked with, rather than against, people’s perceptions of the countryside.
The report found the biggest ‘turn-offs’ were creating division between those living in rural and urban places, and attempts to convince participants of something that went against their existing beliefs.
