After spending a whole lot of effort theorizing about why politics would affect library usage, this is their conclusion: > But then we found a much simpler exp

After spending a whole lot of effort theorizing about why politics would affect library usage, this is their conclusion: > But then we found a much simpler explanation for the party gaps in library use. They shrink right up when we account for just one variable: the urban-rural divide. About 30.5 percent of city Republicans visited libraries in the past month vs. 35 percent of city Democrats, a difference that’s within the margin of error. For rural folks, the blue-red library gap was 16 percent vs. 9 percent. > Democrats, packed into urban areas, may simply have access to more and better libraries. More, better, and closer. It's easier and more worthwhile to visit a library in a city. That's all, folks. Nothing to see here.