New research published last week by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) finds strong public support for increasing investment in rural areas if the case is well presented. This support exists even among people living in towns and cities. When shown a range of arguments for such investments, a YouGov poll revealed that more than three quarters (76-77%) of adults in England support dedicating more resources to rural areas, with less than 5% opposing.

Even when the trade-off between rural and urban investment was made explicit, almost three times as many people (40-44%) supported investing in rural areas compared to those who opposed it (14-16%). The report, led by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) — a founding research partner of the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) which is part of NICRE — indicates that effective messaging can significantly sway public opinion towards rural investment.

The concept of framing, or positioning an issue to connect emotionally with an audience, was explored in the study, "Framing Rural." Through research with campaigners for rural England, including the Rural Services Network and focus groups with the public, it was found that people are generally open to supporting rural investment, particularly when it appeals to the belief that everyone should have access to basic services regardless of their location.

Polling of more than 3,500 people confirms this: the strongest support was for universal access to basic services. This suggests that framing rural investment around equitable access to services may be the most persuasive approach.