Suspicious and Misinformed

When it comes to Covid, suspicious and misinformed are words that describe millions of Americans—especially those who live in rural areas. Rural residents are much more likely than urban residents to say they "definitely won't" get a Covid vaccine, according to a KFF survey fielded in November. More than one in five (21 percent) adults in rural areas say they definitely won't get a vaccine versus 16 percent of suburban residents and 8 percent of adults in urban areas. 

Among parents with children under age 18, the rural-urban gap is even larger...

Parents with children aged 12 to 17 who say they definitely won't get their child vaccinated

Rural: 53%

Suburban: 29%

Urban: 20%

Parents with children aged 5 to 11 who say they definitely won't get their child vaccinated

Rural: 49%

Suburban: 27%

Urban: 22%

One reason for the heightened resistance among rural parents is their belief that the vaccine is not safe. Among parents in rural areas, 65 percent of those with children aged 12 to 17 and an even larger 71 percent of those with children aged 5 to 11 are "not too/not at all confident" in the safety of Covid vaccines. Most rural parents, in fact, think the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine itself rather than Covid.

Parents with children aged 12 to 17 who say the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine 

Rural: 60% 

Suburban: 40% 

Urban: 25% 

Parents with children aged 5 to 11 who say the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine

Rural: 53% 

Suburban: 44% 

Urban: 28% 

Source: KFF, KFF Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor: Differences in Vaccine Attitudes between Rural, Suburban, and Urban Areas

Americans Want More Space

The pandemic has given us a bad case of cabin fever. With many feeling like the walls were closing in because of lockdowns and social distancing, a growing share of Americans say their ideal living situation is bigger houses and more yard, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Here is Pew's question...

"Would you prefer to live in a community where the houses are..

—larger and farther apart, but schools, stores, and restaurants are several miles away, or

—smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores, and restaurants are within walking distance?"

When Pew asked this question in July 2021, fully 60 percent of the public chose the "larger and farther apart" option, up from 53 percent in 2019. Only 39 percent chose the "smaller and closer" option, down from 47 percent in 2019. Every demographic segment was more likely to choose the "larger and farther apart" option in 2021 than it was in 2019. 

Percent who would prefer to live in a community where houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores, and restaurants are several miles away, 2021 (and 2019)

Aged 18 to 29: 55% (43%)

Aged 30 to 49: 63% (56%)

Aged 50 to 64: 66% (59%)

Aged 65-plus: 55% (47%)

The demographic segments most likely to prefer the "larger and farther apart" option are conservative Republicans (77 percent) and rural residents (74 percent). The segments most likely to prefer the "smaller and closer" option are Asians (58 percent) and liberal Democrats (57 percent). 

Source: Pew Research Center, More Americans Now Say They Prefer a Community with Big Houses, even if Local Amenities Are Farther Away

Clash of Cultures: Rural vs. Urban

Most rural residents think those who live in big cities do not share their values. Urban residents are evenly split on whether rural residents share their values.

Rural residents think the values of big-city residents are...
Similar: 29%
Different: 68%

Big-city residents think the values of rural residents are...
Similar: 49%
Different: 48%

Suburban residents are more likely to believe their values align with rural than big-city folks, with 65 percent saying the values of rural residents are similar to their values and a smaller 43 percent saying the values of big-city residents are similar.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post Survey of Rural America

Who Is Urban?

How many Americans live in an urban, suburban, or rural area? There are two ways to answer that question—analyze Census Bureau data using government definitions, or simply ask people to describe where they live. Zillow asked, with these results...

How Americans describe where they live
Urban: 26%
Suburban: 53%
Rural: 21%

Even in the most urban areas—the principal cities of metropolitan areas—only 47 percent of respondents describe their area as urban, 46 percent say suburban, and 7 percent say rural. "That means close to half of people who live within city limits describe where they live as suburban," says Zillow's chief economist Jed Kolko.

By matching its survey results to the zip code demographics of respondents, Zillow shows how population density determines the feel of an area. Those who live in zip codes with more than 2,213 households per square mile tend to describe their area as urban. With 102 to 2,213 households per square mile, residents tend to describe their area as suburban. If there are fewer than 102 households per square mile, residents tend to describe their area as rural.

Kolko measures the size of "urban" and "suburban" populations in the nation's large cities based on Zillow's density definitions. Many of the cities now growing the fastest, he finds, are more "suburban" than "urban."

Source: FiveThirtyEight, How Suburban Are Big American Cities?

Prescription Painkiller Abuse: The Personal Connection

Most Americans have a personal connection to prescription painkiller abuse, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. The 56 percent majority of Americans say they 1) personally know someone who has taken a prescription painkiller not prescribed to them; and/or 2) personally know someone who has been addicted to prescription painkillers, and/or 3) personally know someone who died from a prescription painkiller overdose.

The demographic segments most likely to have a personal connection to prescription painkillers are Whites, those with a household income of $90,000 or more, adults under age 50, those with some college, college graduates, suburban residents, and men.

The demographic segments least likely to have a personal connection to prescription painkillers are Hispanics, people aged 65 or older, Blacks, those with a high school diploma or less education, urban residents, and women.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll