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This paper challenges the widely accepted notions that peasants are more distrustful than urbanites by suggesting that the literature has been flawed by a lack of rural-urban comparisons, by the failure to utilize reliable measures of trust and to distinguish between political and interpersonal trust, and by the lack of convincing empirical evidence for the existence of distrust among peasants. The paper employs two samples. (N rural = 531, N urban = 202) from Costa Rica and finds higher levels of interpersonal trust in the peasant sample and lower levels of interpersonal trust among urbanites. In contrast, political trust is found to be higher in the city. Environmental factors are proposed as the explanations for these findings, and data from a sample of land reform beneficiaries (N = 753) are used as evidence of the importance of environment in explaining trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines qualitative data on class consciousness derived from a study of corporate restructuring and the impacts of layoffs in rural Ontario communities. In particular, the study examines how the rural environment might impinge on the development of class consciousness among the workers there in the context of severe economic stress brought on by plant shutdowns. It is argued that an ideology specific to a farm and small town environment plays a significant role in shaping their response to crisis. The more standard predictors of class consciousness such as age, gender, past union membership, and employment status are also considered. The paper aims to deepen our understanding of the seemingly contradictory belief structures of working class people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use social network analysis to test the hypothesis that group ideology affects information exchange among environmental groups. The analysis is based on interviews with leaders of 136 environmental groups in Alabama. This paper adds to the literature on resource mobilization among social movement organizations by exploring information exchange among a wide range of environmental groups across an entire state, and by incorporating ideology into our analysis. A typology of environmental groups was developed based on willingness to engage or not engage in political and legal activism to pursue their goals. We found a level of information exchange between activist groups twice that among all other groups. We also found that differing ideological profiles did not limit the flow of information between groups, taken as a whole. We conclude that the relatively high level of connectivity is attributable in part to the presence of paid staff among several key activist groups, making these groups important resources for technical and non-technical support for all groups across the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complex array of socio-historical, demographic, and organizational factors have combined in recent years to threaten both the current status of and future prospects for the discipline of rural sociology, and for the Rural Sociological Society (RSS). This paper examines the somewhat problematic recent trajectories of the RSS as a professional organization and of rural sociology more generally and notes a degree of disciplinary and organizational inertia that have limited the pursuit of new directions. It also presents a discussion of selected factors that have contributed to these concerns, including both "external" factors that are largely beyond the organizational reach of RSS and "internal" factors that are more directly linked to organizational characteristics and actions. Drawing upon the distinctions between "red ocean" and "blue ocean" strategies outlined by market strategists Kim and Mauborgne, the discussion then shifts to a focus on action alternatives that, if pursued, could help to create an expanded set of opportunities and a brighter future for rural sociology, and for the Rural Sociological Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses fear of crime in Western communities with rapidly changing populations. Most prior research has reported a relatively low fear of crime in rural communities. However, some recent analyses have indicated unusually high fear in small towns experiencing rapid population growth and economic changes due to energy developments. Heightened fear of crime has been observed even where there has been no apparent increase in criminal victimization experiences. This paper examines four communities at three points in time to assess the causes of shifting fear of crime. Results indicate that measures of contextual change, individual social integration, and criminal victimization influence fear of crime more than do individual compositional variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences between old-timers and newcomers and their effects on community social dimensions have been the object of much research. These studies have shown how extensive in-migration of people with different socioeconomic backgrounds, values, and perspectives contribute to heightened social conflict in some communities. Popular media accounts and some social science research referred to the conflict emerging from these differences as a culture clash. This study examines the effects that different backgrounds, attitudes, and behaviors have on community participation. Here, earlier work on differences in participation levels between seasonal and permanent residents is extended in an attempt to identify structural and interactional characteristics associated with participative citizens regardless of their residential status. A profile of participative residents was found. Knowing these characteristics helps identify people who could bring important and useful insights to local decision-making. These residents make a deliberate choice to purposively engage in community efforts. Such voluntary interaction creates a pro-community environment where needs and solutions are tackled by residents. Additionally, this interactive environment serves as a ground for the reduction of differences among community members. Through this process, community development is achieved, enhancing community well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, we examine residential variation in cohabiting women's union outcomes. prior work has shown that although there are no residential differences in cohabitation, nonmetro women are more likely than others to marry directly and hold more favorable attitudes toward marriage. Building on this work, we examined residential differences in cohabiting women's union outcomes (i.e., marriage, separation, or remaining intact) to test whether nonmetro cohabiting women's unions are more likely to "end" through marriage, and whether pregnancy has a larger positive effect on marriage entry among this group. We find that nonmetro women are less likely to remain in cohabiting unions and are more likely to either marry or separate during the first 24 months of the cohabiting union. Pregnancy during cohabitation encourages marriage and discourages separation, but these effects are not significantly larger for nonmetro women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the hypothesis that older rural residents are more highly integrated into various types of social networks than their urban counterparts and consequently less likely to experience feelings of loneliness. Data were obtained from a sample of 2,829 residents of Washington State aged 55 and over. Path analyses reveal that rural residents are slightly more involved in neighborhood and friendship networks than are urban residents and that these avenues of social integration do reduce loneliness. However, the effects of residence on social integration are very small, and there is a counterbalancing negative direct effect of urban residence on loneliness, so that the total effect is zero. Implications of these findings for existing stereotypes regarding the social relations of the rural elderly are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although conditions affecting the daily lives and social relationships or rural blacks have undergone significant changes, a dual society persists in many ways, and access to opportunities for mobility remains clearly limited. Half the United States black population live in the South, and a third of these reside in nonmetropolitan areas. This segment of the population faces the most entrenched attitudes and possessed the fewest institutional and personal resources to overcome obstacles to achievement. Based on a random sample of residents in eight Deep South countries, the study compares black and white perceptions of barriers to black political and economic progress in terms of the relative weight given to structural versus individualistic explanation for the disadvantaged state of rural blacks. Further attention is given to the effect that beliefs about black progress have no alienation from community decision-making processed and no support for collective efforts to improve the local structure of economic opportunity. Results show that whites systematically endorsed individualistic explanations for the lack of black progress, but blacks tended to perceive structural constraints in terms of discrimination, negative white attitudes toward blacks, and the posture of local government toward minorities as fundamental obstacles to black progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic values concerning the manner in which land is transferred between generations were found to persist in farm families over a century after settlement. Field studies of German and Irish farming communities in Illinois revealed contrasts in family size, interpersonal relations, marriage patterns, size of holdings, and out-migration all related to inheritance values. Differences are shown to be linked to Germans favoring partible inheritance in land transfer and Irish achieving a de facto-impartible inheritance through a process of sibling cooperation in settling estates. The Irish pattern has permitted larger operations assuring viable farms in a time when more land is needed to remain competitive. Fragmentation of German holdings is related to ideals of all children becoming Farmers and inheritance equity for siblings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spady's hypothesis that extent of participation in high school extracurricular activities has a salutary effect on educational attainment statistically controlling on background socioeconomic statuses, academic ability and performance, is tested on 340 17-year-old males surveyed in 1957 and again in 1972. The findings support the hypothesis and provide evidence for the mediating role of extracurricular activities in the educational attainment process. Analysis is by multiple regression based on correlations corrected for unreliability which relates measured variables to their latent constructs making explicit issues of differential validity among indicators and the bearing of validity on causal systems. Future research is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]