1. POLL RESULTS, 2002 and 2003 For each conference, Dr. Boyd commissioned a poll of Alabamans on attitudes toward rural life, or toward land use and land value. About 100 people responded to each poll. The margin of error is about +- 5% for any given question. The following slides give selected results.

2. Selected Results from 2002 Poll on Attitudes Toward Rural Life 56% think Alabama is a leading agricultural state in the U.S. 77% think Alabama soil and water is well suited for agriculture 90% think that the climate is well suited for agriculture Over 50% know that the number of farms has declined 53% know that farming is generally not profitable 73% know that farmers need a second income 60% are willing to pay more for food to protect farms 76% are willing to limit imports to protect farms Only 4% felt that agriculture was the leading cause of pollution

3. Selected Results from 2003 Poll on Land Use, Land Value, Land Taxes A selection of slides follows this summary Many people bought and sold land. Land moves in the market. People want rural land kept in stereotypical row crop farms and orchards. People do not know that Alabama is largely forested. People think that owners should be free to do whatever they wish with their land. At the same time, they think that owners should be good stewards and should keep rural land as natural as possible. People support current use evaluation for taxes. At the same time, most people thought that rural land taxes were more than $2 per acres, or more than $5 per acre, and that this was fair.

4. Motivations for Past & Future Purchases of Rural Land

5. B-1.Perceived Economic Value Estimates of Current versus Fair Annual Taxes on Rural Land

6. 3.90%24.3%28.3%Don’t Know 7.20%10.7%17.8%More than $20 per acre -0.90%10.7%9.8%$10 to $20 per acre -4.80$23.9%19.1%$5 to $10 per acre -2.80%19.3%16.5%$2 to $4 per acre -2.60%11.1%8.5%$0 to $2 per acre Difference Perceptions of a Fair Tax Rate Estimated Current Tax on Rural Land Amount

7. C-1. Rural Land Usage  Respondents indicated whether or not each of 11 land uses would be acceptable:

8. D-1. Maintenance & Protection  56.1% agreed that rural landowners should be awarded government subsidies to maintain land in its natural state.  61.3% agreed that more rural land should be put into protected state or national forests.

9. D-2. Maintenance & Protection Rural landowners have a civic and moral responsibility to respect their property Landowners should have complete control of their rural land holdings Unregulated housing in rural areas can seriously degrade the landscape Rural property owners should not be required to improve or maintain the value of their property

10. D-2. Maintenance & Protection Zoning on rural land infringes on the basic rights of property owners Government assistance should be provided to preserve farmland A rural landowner should be able to continue an activity, even if it offends a neighbor