Purpose. To assess how closely people's perception of local physician supply relates to physician-to-population ratio, and identify what other factors are associated with this perception. Method. Adults (n=4,879) from 150 Southern rural counties completed telephone surveys November 2002-July 2003. Response to a question about perception of adequacy of local physician supply was analyzed with bivariate and multivariate methods assessing strength of association between this perception and actual physician-to-population ratio, individual characteristics, county characteristics, and perceptions about and experience with health care. Results. Respondents more likely to feel there were enough physicians in their area include those who were less likely to state: doctors should be used as a last resort (OR 2.0,p < .001 ), their travel time to care was less than 30 minutes (OR 1.52,p <.001), cost of care was not a problem for them (OR 1.45,p <.001), they were satisfied with the care they had received (OR 1.67,p=.023) and confident in the skills of their physician (OR 1.39, p=.006). Respondents in areas with higher physician-to-population ratios, who were over 65, White, male, and in good health were also more likely agree there were enough local doctors. In our model most variance in opinion about physician supply was explained by perceptions and experience variables, followed by individual characteristic variables, physician-to-population ratio, and county-level variables. Conclusions. People with positive perceptions about and experiences with health care are more likely to perceive that there are not enough physicians in their community. This perception was more strongly associated with perception of adequacy of physician supply than other variables, including physician-to-population ratio.Master of Public Healt
