The rural-urban inflation gap

+ pope's comments on gays not as radical as might seem US Edition - Today's top story: Rural Americans aren't included in inflation figures – and for them, the cost of living may be rising faster [View in browser]( US Edition | 27 January 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( I’m an urbanite. And as such I do very urban-y things: I take regular and accessible public transport and eat out too often at one of the many restaurants within a stone’s throw of my small, but easily heatable, apartment. But somewhere out there, there is another “Matt Williams” (it is, after all, a very common name). And that Matt Williams is rural. With no buses or trains stopping near his old, drafty house, he has to rely on a car. He uses the rapidly depreciating vehicle to travel long distances for services and goods, such as groceries to cook at home. There is a point to these hypothetical musings: People in the country have different consumption habits from those living in cities. And yet, the headline rate of inflation – the one that gets talked about every month and guides interest rate decisions – only reflects what urban consumers buy, [with rural Americans’ purchases taking no part in the survey](. To economists Stephan Weiler from Colorado State University and Tessa Conroy from University of Wisconsin-Madison, that is not only frustrating, but it could be masking a rural-urban inflation gap. Reviewing where the price hikes are, they write that consumption habits suggest “rural Americans suffer more as the cost of living goes up.” “Indeed, rural inflation may be more pernicious than urban inflation, with price increases likely lingering longer than in cities,” they add. Also today: - [The power dynamics of animals more subtle than dog-eat-dog]( - [Tongass National Forest and the long debate over roads]( - [Podcast: Harnessing nature’s engineers like beavers and oysters]( Today is Friday, which means it’s time to [test your knowledge with our news quiz day](. A small request: Share your score with your friends on the social media platform of your choice. Send us a screenshot of your post and we’ll print your name here next week. Thanks! Matt Williams Senior Breaking News and International Editor Calculating the cost of living in the country. Ariel Skelley/Getty Images [Rural Americans aren’t included in inflation figures – and for them, the cost of living may be rising faster]( Stephan Weiler, Colorado State University; Tessa Conroy, University of Wisconsin-Madison The rising cost of living doesn’t hit all Americans equally. Yet the benchmark figure for charting the rising cost of living excludes people in rural areas. 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The city and county have voted to ban new ones after studies showed health problems in residents living nearby. - [Biden moves to protect the Tongass, North America’s largest rainforest, from logging and road building]( Beverly Law, Oregon State University Scientists are urging the Biden administration to protect mature US forests as a climate change strategy, starting with the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Podcast 🎙️ - [Beavers and oysters are helping restore lost ecosystems with their engineering skills]( Daniel Merino, The Conversation; Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation Restoring entire ecosystems is a difficult and expensive process. Thankfully, certain species, called ecosystem engineers, can make restoration easier. Gaining social and political support is critical too. 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