May 18, 2012
The latest Roy Morgan Research “State of the Nation” snapshot released today paints a depressing view of country living versus city life.
Rural residents are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and be overweight or obese than their city cousins.
They are also less likely to participate in sport and exercise and suffer more health problems.
Roy Morgan’s “State of the Nation Report” looks at the latest Australian trends within society, technology, the environment, politics and the economy.
Business confidence is also higher in the city, with the “utilities, water and waste” sector the most confident.
In the country, “mining” is the most confident industry by a large margin.
City businesses also reported they were more likely to be increase staff numbers and investment in the near future.
Consumer confidence is also higher in the city due to a higher proportion of residents expecting good times financially in the next 12 months.
Unemployment rates tend to be higher in the country, with the younger generation most likely to be unemployed in both regions. Men are more likely to be employed in both city and country.
Education levels are much higher in the city with a greater proportion of residents holding a university degree compared with those in the country.
Those in the country are more likely to live in households with one or two people than those in the city. City residents are more likely to live in larger households.
When looking at country of birth, a higher proportion of country residents were born in Australia compared with those living in the city.
Apart from those born in Australia, the second most prevalent racial background in the city was Asian, whereas in the country it was those born in the UK and Ireland.
Financial data indicated that those in the city have higher net wealth, higher personal and household incomes, and higher home values.
Roy Morgan Research spokesman Norman Morris said Australian citizens – whether those living in the city or country – generally shared many similarities.
“Many findings of the ‘City versus Country’ focus made sense given the differences between city and country life,” he said.
“However, there are many differences between the two regions, particularly in health, unemployment and wealth.
“Qualitative research conducted by Roy Morgan Research in April and May found that overall Australians generally agreed on what they thought were the most important issues currently facing Australia, however there were some important differences.
“A much higher proportion of city residents rated the ‘environment’ as the most important issue compared with those living in the country. Whereas ‘government, political, human rights’ rated much higher in the country than in the city.”
[Cartoon by Doug Savage of http://www.savagechickens.com]
