Additionally, some uphold the view that people living in the countryside face greater problems than those in towns.

uphold 是动词，由前缀 up-（表示"向上"）和 hold（"握住、保持"）组成，字面意思是"向上托住"，引申为"支持、维护、坚持"某种观点或原则。在这里表示"坚持（某种观点）"。