The sociopolitical consequences of Agrarianism reconsidered

Three common views of agrarianism & its role in the sociopolitical scene are examined with data from a questionnaire survey of a sample of 611 Ohio farmers. It is argued that all three views -- end of agrarianism, agrarianism as a refuge, & agrarianism as false consciousness -- have assumptions that restrict an understanding of agrarianism's sociopolitical consequences. Results show that: (1) family farmers of all SE categories still hold strongly to agrarian values, (2) agrarianism is the best predictor of progressive political attitudes in a multiple regression equation, & (3) agrarianism has a positive relationship with progressive political attitudes among small farmers. In conclusion, the prevalence of agrarianism & its importance for shaping farmers' political attitudes call into question some key assumptions about the role of traditional farm values on the US sociopolitical scene. 6 Tables, 1 Figure, 38 References. Modified HA.