Ranking Arkansas: Student-Surveyed Mental Maps and Preference Mapping of Arkansas Counties, 2018-2021

Abstract

Arkansas has been described as “two states in one”, with two diagonally split regions: a growing upland north and west, and a declining lowland south and east. However, do Arkansas residents share these in-state regional associations of “growth” and “decline”? 48 Arkansas high school graduates enrolled in the “Arkansas Geography” course at Arkansas Tech University between 2018 and 2021 were surveyed about their preferences of all 75 Arkansas counties. Only 10 of 75 Arkansas counties were rated positively by students, with higher scores occurring around Northwest Arkansas, Russellville, and Hot Springs. The lowest-rated counties were in the Arkansas Delta and in very rural areas of the Ozarks or Ouachita mountains. A possible “home effect” exists as students rated their home counties highly, but the effect was largely minimized. County ratings were consistent across the 2018, 2020, and 2021 surveys. Most Arkansas regions were rated higher than the constituent counties in each region, giving credence to regional perceptions as ideas. These results are useful, not only for understanding intrastate issues within Arkansas, but also because associating high preferences with population and economic growth can aid future decision-making from planners and other stakeholders.

Keywords:

• Arkansas
• geography education
• preference maps
• cartography
• urbanization

Acknowledgements

The author offers sincere thanks to the students at Arkansas Tech University students who voluntarily participated in this study over the years.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

IRB statement

This research was approved and found as “exempt” by the Arkansas Tech University Institutional Review Board. Due to the multi-year nature of this project, additional renewals/applications occurred. The last such exemption was granted in early August 2021, before the Fall 2021 semester at Arkansas Tech University.