Physics

Rural area

Sociology

Work (physics)

Identity (music)

Left behind

Economic growth

Psychotherapist

Politics

Mental health

Engineering

Political economy

Political science

Psychology

Economics

Acoustics

Presidential system

Pride

Mechanical engineering

The Journal of Peasant Studies

Using interview and survey data, we argue there are three types of places in the rural United States, and that their social and economic conditions help us understand emerging political trends, including the rural support for Donald Trump. More rural votes were cast for the Republican presidential candidate in 2016 than in other recent elections, yet shifts to Republican votes were greatest in places undergoing the most significant economic transitions. Work in rural communities has been a source of pride and cultural identity for people as well as places, but many feel the new economy is not working for them.

People and places left behind: work, culture and politics in the rural United States