Some local governments in nonmetro areas--especially those in the rural West and in very rural areas--experienced high levels of fiscal stress in the mid-seventies that were associated with high and rising local taxes. These local governments may be forced to cut back their rural development activities in the eighties. Fiscal pressures on local…

Uses public opinion polls to show that rural Americans, like the rest of the country, prefer less government in general but do not support cuts in specific programs. Finds rural Americans less supportive of government spending, particularly mass transportation, welfare, and public health; more supportive of sales taxes; more changeable. (LFL)