ABSTRACT
Politics has much to do with societal divisions and conflict, reflecting antagonisms among social interests. The highest variance in elite perceptions concerns urban/suburban or rural conflicts, followed by their views on the existence of religious conflicts. One interesting question is whether there is a relationship by city between perceived levels of conflict and elites' evaluations of conflict. Communities in the United States with a strong Democratic vote and dominated by Democratic leaders are more likely to be aware of conflict. In attempting to explain city variations in elite conflict perceptions certain basic elite attitudes could conceivably be helpful. Most of the local leaders do operate with a conflict model of social and political life. One senses that the way in which local elites respond to conflicts differs by city and suggests a basis for typologizing cities. There are communities where elites deny the existence of much conflict and ignore those conflicts they see.
