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<p>This study explores aspects which influence whether young people decide to remain in a rural area or move away. Based on a qualitative analysis of 41 open-ended interviews with young people from a rural area of inland Spain, it especially examines the perception they hold of the opportunities provided by their rural environment for labour market integration. The results show that: 1) agriculture, the economic base of the area, is not perceived as a means of social and labour market integration; 2) a high degree of mobility between the village and the city is a necessary condition for young people to remain in a rural area; 3) promoting the natural and cultural resources of an area strengthens the feeling of belonging and identity.</p>
</abstract>

This study explores aspects which influence whether young people decide to remain in a rural area or move away. Based on a qualitative analysis of 41 open-ended interviews with young people from a rural area of inland Spain, it especially examines the perception they hold of the opportunities provided by their rural environment for labour market integration. The results show that: 1) agriculture, the economic base of the area, is not perceived as a means of social and labour market integration; 2) a high degree of mobility between the village and the city is a necessary condition for young people to remain in a rural area; 3) promoting the natural and cultural resources of an area strengthens the feeling of belonging and identity.

Residential Aspirations and Perception of Rural Youth of the Opportunities Offered By their Environment: the Case of a Spanish Inland Rural Area

PhD in Sociology and Lecturer at the University of Valladolid

PhD in Sociology and Associate Lecturer at the University of Valladolid

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This study explores aspects which influence whether young people decide to remain in a rural area or move away. Based on a qualitative analysis of 41...

Residential Aspirations and Perception of Rural Youth of the Opportunities Offered By their Environment: the Case of a Spanish Inland Rural Area

Published Online: Dec 26, 2021

Page range: 785 - 805

Received: May 14, 2021

Accepted: Sep 29, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0042

Keywords
rural youth, qualitative analysis, rural abandonment, mobility

© 2020 José Javier Callejo González et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Residential Aspirations and Perception of Rural Youth of the Opportunities Offered By their Environment: the Case of a Spanish Inland Rural Area

Published Online: Dec 26, 2021

Page range: 785 - 805

Received: May 14, 2021

Accepted: Sep 29, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0042

Keywordsrural youth, qualitative analysis, rural abandonment, mobility

© 2020 José Javier Callejo González et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
rural youth, qualitative analysis, rural abandonment, mobility