Rural Ohioans are more skeptical of new construction and its possible impact than urban or suburban Ohioans

 (11-19-25) The Institute for Civics and Public Policy (ICAPP) at Ohio Northern University has conducted the latest installment of the Northern Poll with a focus on zoning issues.  The October 2025 poll was the largest yet, surveying 1,638 Ohio adults from October 7 through October 13.  The margin of error ranged from 3.1% to 5.1% depending on the question.  Questions focused on four topics related to zoning: solar farms; multifamily housing; cannabis/marijuana dispensaries; and AI/data centers.  Respondents were also questioned on their opinions of the economic, environmental, quality-of-life, and public safety impacts of each of these respective entities.  

Dr. Keith F. Durkin, professor of sociology and director of ICAPP

“Although we often hear about kitchen table issues, zoning issues are critical backyard issues .The character of our communities are greatly impacted by how state and local governments regulate land use and development, particularly in rural areas.”  

ICAPP fellows Gabriel Mott and Curtis Ware completed a detailed analysis comparing the attitudes of rural Ohioans to their urban and suburban counterparts on these issues.  Among the over 1600 respondents, 27% resided in rural areas, 23% lived in urban areas, and the remaining 50% hailed from suburban areas.   This analysis revealed important differences in attitudes among rural respondents compared to their peers. 

 

General Support for Solar Farms

 

Solar farms are generally popular among rural Ohioans, with 45% saying they support them (17% strongly, 28% somewhat) and 27% in opposition (16% somewhat, 11% strongly). Subtracting opposition from support yields Net Positivity, +18 in this case.  However, rural residents are less supportive of solar farms than their urban (+53) and suburban (+37) peers.  While rural residents have positive impressions of the economic (+20), environmental (+17), and quality-of-life (+20) impact of solar farms, the net positivity score for each of these lags at least 15 points behind the scores of suburban and rural Ohioans.

 

Quote:

“On the one hand, rural residents experience tangible economic benefits from land sales for the development of solar farms.  On the other hand, these solar farms are normally located in rural communities thus likely tempering residents’ opinions” 

– Curtis Ware, ICAPP Fellow, Ohio Northern University

 

Qualified Support for Multifamily Housing

Respondents were asked about their opinions regarding the development of additional multifamily housing.  Overall, 38% of rural residents indicated support and 29% indicated opposition, yielding a Net Positivity score of +9.  However, urban Ohioans are far more positive about multifamily housing (+42).  Rural residents expressed concerns about quality-of-life impacts of multifamily housing, with a Net Positivity rating of -1 compared to urban residents who were at +32 and suburban residents at +12.  While the public safety impacts of multifamily housing were rated negatively by rural Ohioans (-5), both suburban (+5) and urban (+26) Ohioan ranked the public safety impact positively.

 

Quote:

“Compared to urban and suburban areas, multi-family housing is rarely found in rural areas which likely explains the concerns expressed by rural Ohioans.”  

– Curtis Ware, ICAPP Fellow, Ohio Northern University

 

Mixed Views Regarding Marijuana Dispensaries 

While rural Ohioans indicate overall support for marijuana dispensaries with a Net Positivity score of +13, they are less supportive than their urban (+34) counterparts.   While rural respondents gave high ratings to the economic benefits of dispensaries (+39), their support declines when it comes to the quality-of-life and public safety issues related to dispensaries.  For example, rural Ohioans rate the quality-of-life impact of dispensaries at +4, much lower than urban Ohioans (+31).Moreover, while rural residents rate the public safety impact of dispensaries negatively (-12), urban Ohioans rate this positively (+13). 

 

Quote: 

“While rural Ohioans are less supportive overall of dispensaries than urban Ohioans, their priorities are the same; they’re most skeptical of public safety while most optimistic about economic benefits.”

– Gabriel Mott, ICAPP Fellow, Ohio Northern University 

 

Negative Opinions of AI/Data Centers

The poll conducted an experiment regarding computing centers in Ohio; it prompted one half of the respondents to consider “Data centers,” and the other half of the audience to consider “AI centers”.  Overall, rural Ohioans were opposed both “Data” centers (-6) and “AI” centers (-21).  Both urban (+24) and suburban (+10) residents were supportive of “Data” centers.  Urban Ohioans (+5) were marginally approving of “AI” centers, while suburban Ohioans (-2) were not.  

 

Quote:

“The term ‘AI’ draws more skepticism than the term ‘Data’ for rural Ohioans, although this effect isn’t quite as dramatic as it is for urban Ohioans.”

– Gabriel Mott, ICAPP Fellow, Ohio Northern University 

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