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Why are cities more leftist?

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Cojuanco Since: Oct, 2009
#1: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:45:05 PM

I mean, it seems the left-wing parties seem to be strongest in large cities, while right-wing parties seem to do best in small towns and the countryside in general. Why is this so? Discuss.

Tzetze DUMB from a converted church in Venice, Italy Since: Jan, 2001
DUMB
#2: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:47:49 PM

First get some stats to see if it's a real tendency.

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Deboss I see the Awesomeness. from Awesomeville Texas Since: Aug, 2009
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#3: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:50:27 PM

Where would you get stats like that?

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Cojuanco Since: Oct, 2009
#4: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:52:11 PM

And if you're interested, look up "urban-rural cleavage".

I mean, look at the electoral maps of a lot of countries/states - DFW votes differently than, say, Stagecoach, TX.

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#5: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:52:12 PM

Perhaps because people in the countryside are more isolated.

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BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#6: Jan 15th 2011 at 5:52:15 PM

Didn't modern progressive/liberal ideologies mostly originate in cities?

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Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#7: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:01:29 PM

Basically, cities have a shitload of people really, really close together, with a lot of bleed-over from other countries due to business. This has a lot of general effects via forced exposure to different cultural strata, hence social progressivism. It also means less privacy overall, and people tend to be a bit more okay with more invasive measures.

edited 15th Jan '11 6:01:58 PM by Pykrete

myrdschaem Since: Dec, 2010
#8: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:01:54 PM

...Population in the city is more likely to be younger and more politically interested which is consistent with the clichee.

Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#9: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:05:58 PM

People in rural areas are less likely to be employed by or affected directly by big businesses. They don't get the same amount of benefit from many city-oriented social programs (like mass transit, or road maintenance programs). They're more used to depending on themselves and their neighbors rather than the government.

Cojuanco Since: Oct, 2009
#10: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:09:08 PM

And what of social conservatism? Though this may break down a bit there, especially given some immigrant communities.

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#11: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:12:10 PM

Cities tend to be much more racially diverse as well.

Also, I guess people who live in sparsely populated areas are used to fending for themselves and don't want the government to intervene. I've heard that libertarianism is popular in the rural west.

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Rottweiler Dog and Pony Show from Portland, Oregon Since: Dec, 2009
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#12: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:16:51 PM

What Madrugada said. Rural people are less dependent even on the primary function of the state (law enforcement). They're not going to be interested in paying higher taxes for peripheral functions like mass transit.

As to social conservatism, I'd suspect a strong inverse correlation with years in school, since public schools and especially universities socialize students to be progressive. A university town is going to skew farther left than a much larger city where older people and other classes are dominant.

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thatguythere47 Since: Jul, 2010
#13: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:27:07 PM

[up] Yeah, that's pretty much 100% bang on.

I'd wager that poverty has something to do with it as well. Someone posted it in another thread around here but basically the lowest earners tend to vote liberal and there's high poverty in cities so yeah. As to why poor people vote liberal? That's an easy answer, social programs are often the only thing keeping them from turning to crime or becoming homeless.

edited 15th Jan '11 6:27:44 PM by thatguythere47

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Malkavian What is this from madness Since: Jan, 2001
What is this
#14: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:28:52 PM

Cities also tend to house things like blue-collar workers that tend to vote democrat, as well as universities and science administrations.

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Cojuanco Since: Oct, 2009
#15: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:38:08 PM

OTOH, significant numbers of blue-collars are actually socially conservative, but vote for the left-of-center party for economic reasons, usually involving labor unions.

So perhaps it's a result of education and age?

thatguythere47 Since: Jul, 2010
#16: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:45:01 PM

Urgh, remembering statistics...

The lowest earners were liberal and the professionals like doctors, professors, lawyers etc went to liberals. Everything in the middle was conservative and I can't remember for CEO's etc but I'll bet a silver dollar they went conservative as well.

edited 15th Jan '11 6:45:28 PM by thatguythere47

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rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
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#17: Jan 15th 2011 at 6:52:56 PM

I figure it's due to the higher proliferation of different ideas. Rural areas tend to be more isolated. Using my own state as an example, NYC is pretty liberal, but the rest of Long Island and upstate tend to be more conservative.

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Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#18: Jan 15th 2011 at 7:01:54 PM

^^ I don't remember where I heard CEO and thereabouts tended to roll conservative, but it wouldn't surprise me since the right tends to be in favor of less taxes and freer market, and they can obviously benefit greatly from that.

edited 15th Jan '11 7:02:18 PM by Pykrete

JackMackerel from SOME OBSCURE MEDIA Since: Jul, 2010
#19: Jan 15th 2011 at 7:31:06 PM

Really depends on the area of the city. San Fran and San Jose still have a sizable Republican population.

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Filby Since: Jan, 2001
#21: Jan 15th 2011 at 7:40:52 PM

My theory: There is a large minority of (usually) fiscal conservatives - Wall Street, for instance - who thrive in urban habitats. Capitalists are drawn to cities because the higher population means more finance. Business attracts blue-collar workers. For reasons stated above, blue-collar workers skew left of center. One capitalist can employ thousands of proles, so the majority population tends toward the left.

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#22: Jan 15th 2011 at 7:42:15 PM

San José I could at least sort of understand. San Fran seems like it'd have a few internal conclaves that would get gleefully gerrymandered but would otherwise be overwhelmingly liberal.

EnglishIvy Since: Aug, 2011
#23: Jan 15th 2011 at 8:19:15 PM

Doesn't San Francisco have a large financial district? That would have lots of conservatives in it.

BalloonFleet MASTER-DEBATER from Chicago, IL, USA Since: Jun, 2010
MASTER-DEBATER
#24: Jan 15th 2011 at 8:22:50 PM

SF's Financial district AFAIK doesnt have a lot of people who live there during the night, they commute using BART or something else from suburbs or Oakland or whatnot.

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