The resurgence of the rural–urban divide in political attitudes is often interpreted through the lens of social identity. ❓But do rural and urban identities shape how citizens see themselves—or are they just reflections of deeper, more salient identities?

🧑‍💻 Using open-ended survey responses from a representative sample in Spain (N=1359), we apply AI-based text analysis to explore how individuals describe the groups they identify with.

Our findings show: 1️⃣ Rural–urban identities surface only marginally when not prompted directly. Identities based on age, ideology, and education are more salient in spontaneous responses.

2️⃣ When primed some stereotypical traits emerge: rural communities are associated with nature and a relaxed lifestyle, while urban ones are linked to stress and individualism