Community support for a gold cyanide process mine: resident and leader differences in rural Montana.

摘要

Previous studies have established that community residents and leaders differ in their support for hazardous waste facility siting in rural areas (Spies et al., Rural Sociology (1998) 63, 65-93). The present study examines whether these same differences exist in rural communities that face other high-risk development decisions by analysing resident and leader support for a proposed gold cyanide process (GCP) mine in Montana, USA. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 127 households and 38 leaders. Compared to proposed hazardous waste facilities, a much stronger predictor of both resident and leader support in the GCP mine context is recreancy, or distrust in institutions and outside interveners. However, perceived economic benefits remain key differences between residents and leaders in both the GCP mine and hazardous waste facility cases.