I am from the “Deep South.” In fact, if I lived any further south I would be a soft-shelled crab. For those of us in south Louisiana the word “redneck” has a special meaning. It does not always refer to a person’s education or sophistication but rather to his origin. South Louisiana was settled by the French, the Creole French whose ancestors came to Louisiana directly from France and the Cajun (Acadian) French whose ancestors came by way of L’Acadie in Canada. North Louisiana was settled by “les Américains,” the Americans (people of English heritage, primarily British immigrants from England, Scotland, and Ireland) . The two cultures are quite different. “Redneck” is a word often used by those in the southern part of the state in reference to those in the northern part (or of non-French southerners in general). It is more descriptive of cultural differences rather than personal ones. It has been jokingly said the reason south Louisiana has more people of African descent and north Louisiana has more rednecks was that south Louisiana got first choice.

In modern usage, redneck predominantly refers to a particular stereotype of whites from the Southern United States. The word can be used either as a pejorative or as a matter of pride, depending on context. Here is a site that can help u to understand the use of this word on different context: http://bsornot.whipnet.net/redneck/redneck.defined.html

I think the image behind "redneck" is that their neck is sunburnt. Not always literally, but if someone has a "sunburnt neck", we imagine them as pale-skinned, but also uneducated: out in the sun getting burnt, and no time indoors studying or improving their mind. We also use "redneck" in Australia to describe uneducated bigots, but we also recognise it as a word of US origin. Perhaps it's used in only colonised countries... I'd be keen to hear if "redneck" is also in common use in the UK.

The word "redneck" traditionally refers to to an uneducated and unsophisticated white person of either gender typically in the rural United States.