Quality of Life and Attachments to Rural Settlements: The Basis for Regeneration and Socio-Economic Sustainability
Aleksandra Tešin,
Aleksandra S. Dragin,
Maja Mijatov Ladičorbić,
Tamara Jovanović,
Zrinka Zadel,
Tamara Surla,
Kristina Košić,
Juan Manuel Amezcua-Ogáyar,
Alberto Calahorro-López,
Boris Kuzman,
Vladimir Stojanović
Affiliations
Aleksandra Tešin
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Aleksandra S. Dragin
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Maja Mijatov Ladičorbić
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Tamara Jovanović
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Zrinka Zadel
Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Rijeka, 51410 Opatija, Croatia
Tamara Surla
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Kristina Košić
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Juan Manuel Amezcua-Ogáyar
Department of Business Organization, Marketing and Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, University of Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Alberto Calahorro-López
Department of Business Organization, Marketing and Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, University of Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Boris Kuzman
Institute of Agricultural Economics, Volgina 15, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Vladimir Stojanović
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Balanced territorial development and improving living conditions have become the focus of rural development policies. As the number of young people moving to cities or other countries is increasing, rural settlements face serious demographic disbalances and aging societies. Quality of life and place attachment are both key variables in enhancing the social and economic capacities of rural and undeveloped communities and reducing youth out-migration. However, this topic remains underexplored, especially among younger generations, who are critical for further socio-economic sustainability. Thus, the main goal of this study was to explore young residents’ perceptions about quality of life, level of attachment to their rural homes, and their interrelationship. This study was conducted among 299 participants in rural areas of Serbia and Croatia. The results identified two quality of life factors: (1) satisfaction with the quality of infrastructure and (2) satisfaction with culture and education. Three attachment factors were extracted, among which place identity was the strongest. Additionally, the influence of quality of life and socio-demographic characteristics on place attachment was confirmed. These results provide new insights that could be very useful in creating strategies and initiatives for rural planning and strengthening rural areas’ social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
