Are cities ever more cosmopolitan? Studying trends in urban-rural divergence of cultural attitudes

Many scholars and pundits have argued that there is a growing urban-rural divide in political attitudes the US Europe. However, it an empirical question whether how differences between urban rural areas changed over time. In this study, we investigate divergence cosmopolitan-nationalist Netherlands last four decades. We focus on towards issues of immigration, multiculturalism European integration. use individual-level survey data from Dutch Parliamentary Election Study (1994–2017) Cultural Changes (1979–2016). find consistent support for inhabitants more- less-urbanised municipalities decades Netherlands, also when controlling sociodemographic composition. This mostly due to fact people larger cities differ increasingly living other parts country. Trends smaller towns villages are very similar those most areas.