Professor Pruitt Talks to Newsweek About Survey of Rural Residents

Professor Lisa R. Pruitt spoke to Newsweek for a Nov. 20 story headlined “Rural America Feels Differently About the Future.” The story focuses on an American Communities Project survey that found rural residents more optimistic about the country’s future.

Numbers likely were up from a similar survey in 2024, the story points out, because President Donald Trump had regained office. But Newsweek also notes that a number of Trump policies, from cuts to Medicaid to tariffs affecting costs for farmers, could hit rural communities hardest.

“Rural voters’ optimism may be dashed by the harsh realities of a loss of services likely to flow from the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Pruitt told Newsweek.

Distinguished Professor of Law Lisa R. Pruitt is Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and president of the Rural Sociological Society. Her recent work explores the legal relevance of rural spatiality, including how it inflects dimensions of gender, race, and ethnicity. Pruitt's work also considers rural-urban difference in transnational and international contexts. She is the recipient of the law school’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award.