Rural and Urban Differences in Economic Experiences, Anxiety and Support for the Post-communist Reforms in the Czech and Slovak Republics

The economic experiences and economic anxiety of rural and urban residents of the Czech and Slovak Republics during the postcommunist reforms are compared and related to their support for the reforms. The analysis is based on five national surveys, 1992–1996, collected by the Sociology Institute of the now Czech Academy of Sciences. Net of controls, both Czech and Slovak rural respondents report more economic strain and unemployment, a difference that persists over the surveys. These experiences account for rural residents' greater economic anxiety, their fear of economic development and unemployment, which also persists over the surveys. These experiences and anxiety explain, in turn, their lower level of support for the reforms, and endorsement of a return to socialism and strong-hand government. Rural and urban respondents of the two countries have experienced the world differently since 1990, and this is expressed in their economic anxiety and political preferences.