The predictable partisan difference in views of American cities

Earlier today, the Republican National Committee sent out a fundraising mail with a pitch that only a GOP diehard could love.

“Have you ever been to the big city?” it began, suggesting that, if so, “maybe it was New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago.” But those cities are no longer “beacons of American exceptionalism,” as they were when “we were growing up.” (Ahem.) Instead, “thanks to Democrat politicians, they’re now rat and feces infested gang headquarters for illegal immigrants.”

This appeal triggered a number of responses, as you might expect. Some centered on a bit of whataboutism: Can you imagine the response if the Democratic Party sent out a fundraising pitch centered on how disgusting and repulsive small-town America was?

I, of course, was more curious about what we actually know about these cities. Is it the case that Republicans don’t visit large cities? Is it the case, too, that they think these places are vile and disgusting?

Polling from YouGov answers the first question definitively. No, Republicans have been to large cities as often — maybe even more often! — than Democrats. They’re less likely to live there, we can assume, but it’s not like they haven’t been.

The most positively viewed city, YouGov found, was Nashville, Tenn. It is also a city that is viewed much more positively by Republicans than Democrats — who are also more likely to have been there.

As you might expect, net views of each city are more positive as the percentage of people who’ve visited them increases. Similarly, city dwellers are more likely to view the cities positively than are people who live in rural areas. You can see the connection between visits to a city and favorability when we look just at the views of Democrats.

Among Republicans, though, there’s no obvious correlation between having visited a city and a positive net view of the city.

What there is instead is a (modest) inverse correlation between views of the cities and how strongly they supported Kamala Harris last year. The more Democratic the vote, the more negative the views among Republicans.

And that’s the play. The RNC email isn’t talking about the urban hellscape of Nashville. It’s explicitly talking about the purported hellscape in New York City, a lovely town with low crime and lots to offer. It’s playing up the stereotype, not the reality — and it’s a stereotype that holds for a lot of these cities even after Republicans have been to them.