ABSTRACT
In rural communities basic human needs are essentially the same as in urban areas, so there should be no a priori expectation of differences in necessary community services. In a spatial or geographic sense, the demographic reality of low population density in rural areas means that potential demand for services delivered from discrete facilities is dispersed and that the provision of network services may be prohibitively expensive. Citizen opinion on service provision can influence decisions on services and their funding via a number of routes. Many would hold that community input on public service provision is appropriately effected by the election of community representatives to local government councils or authorities. A study in Canada, which set out to measure the preferences of residents for service improvements and cuts, employed an approach which may have application to the service provision dilemma in other rural communities.
