Social and Environmental Conditions in Rural Districts, 1975

This interview survey forms part of a major project concerning a mapping out of the social and environmental conditions in rural districts in Denmark in 1975. #The background of the project is the rapid structural changes in society resulting in major changes in the living conditions of the population in rural districts proper. The surveys attempt to examine a number of factors which are thought to influence the process which leads to an increase in population in some local communities, whereas other local communities experience stagnation and still others experience a major decrease in population. A further purpose of the surveys is to examine some of the most important social problems in the rural districts as well as to describe how the problems are experienced in the different types of local communities. Finally, the surveys advance a theory concerning the influence this may have upon the future development of local communities. #The project consists of the following part surveys: # #1) This interview survey, which comprises all households in 10 # small towns with between 200 and 999 inhabitants within 5 # municipalities. 1426 households were interviewed, i.e. # primarily female heads of households were interviewed. The # response percentage was 88.5. The survey is based on 3 all all # questionnaires. Questionnaire I was to be completed by # respondents; questionnaire II concerns information on # spouse/cohabitant and child-minding, i.e. how 0 to # 6-year-old children are minded; and questionnaire III only # concerns families with children aged 13 or more who are # employed. In addition to a number of background variables (e.g. # occupation and education) questionnaire I contains information # on financial conditions, public support, housing conditions, # social contacts, spare time offers, shopping facilities, # information on local political matters and influence on # political matters as well as reasons for moving to the town or # considerations as regards moving from the town. Questionnaire # II contains information on the education and occupation of the # respondent's spouse/cohabitant as well as information on # child-minding regarding 0 to 6-year-old children. Questionnaire # III examines status, occupation and unemployment of children # aged 13 or more. # #2) The second part of the project comprises 19 questions from # the Danish Omnibus Survey, October 1975 (DDA-0129). This part # examines conditions in connection with moving, participation # in local politics and social conditions. The purpose of this # national survey is to compare the conditions in small towns # with the conditions in the country as a whole. # #3) The third part of the project is a mail questionnaire survey, # which was carried out in December 1975. Questionnaires were # sent to all households, which, according to the municipal # national registration offices, had moved from the 10 small # towns (which are included in the interview survey) in the # period 1 April, 1970 to 31 March, 1975. However, questionnaires # were only sent to households which had moved from the # municipality. As was the case in the interview survey, it was # primarily female heads of households who completed the # questionnaire. The response percentage was 65.4. # This part survey examines a number of background variables # and changes in connection with the removal, e.g. employment # conditions, social contacts, social and financial conditions # as well as possibilities of supporting a family: 'Removals # from Rural Districts, 1970-1975' (DDA-1081). # #4) The fourth part of the project deals with the processing of # documentary material, e.g. internal municipal and county # statistics and reports, reports from the Labour Exchange # offices, municipal information books, hand books and master # plans. In addition, the local papers in the parishes of Give # and Gudme are systematized according to contents and form part # of the general analysis material. # #5) The fifth and last part of the project consists of intensive # surveys of the 4 selected towns in Gudme and Give. # A number of observations were made and a number of informal # talks were carried out during the interviewers' stay in the # four towns. The most important material from these intensive # surveys is a number of interviews with selected key persons # (local politicians and local civil servants, dealers and # shopkeepers, business men, trade union leaders, Labour Exchange # staff, chairmen of local committees, etc.). # #Parts 4 and 5 of the project map out conditions concerning population changes, development of trade and industry, employment and unemployment conditions, regional planning and municipal master plans, development of building land in the towns, social conditions, possibilities of supporting a family, local political matters, informal contacts, formal memberships of clubs and associations, and the physical environment of the towns