This article is based on the study 'Public Opinion and Rural Development. The Intermediate Evaluation of the European Union Initiative Leader Plus in Andalusia', carried out between the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004 by the Institute of Social Studies of Andalusia (IESA-CSIC). In this pages the matter of the rural development of the Andalusian mountain zones is raised, with the empirical framework of the analysis focused on the specific case of the situation in the Sierra Nevada. Through this analysis, the intention is to show the difficulties and hindrances that in modern times slow down the development process for the montainous population of the domain of the Sierra Nevada, as well as the perceived changes and the opportunities for improvement detected by this population within the framework of the European Union Initiative LEADER (Links between Actions for the Development of the Rural Economy).