Social Relations in Urban and Rural areas (the case of study: the Province of Semirom)

Urban areas have assumed enormous importance in recent years and are increasingly influencing the lives of many people. The issue of how living in cities affects the social relations of their residents has been an important sociological issue for many years. This paper aims to present a comparative study of social relations in urban and rural areas to assess the impact of urbanization on social relations. The theories of Louis Wirth, Herbert Gans, and Claud Fischer have provided the theoretical framework of the study. This is a survey research that has used questionnaires to collect needed data. The research population consisted of all 20-60 year-old residents of the province of Semirom of which 385 individuals of two cities and ten villages were selected as the sample via quota sampling. The dependent variable was measured through relationships with the family, with friends, with neighbors, and with relatives. The research instrument had face validity and the Cronbach’s coefficient for reliability was 0.75. Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, and the t-test were used to test relationships between variables. The results showed that the level social relations was at the medium level (3.22 of 5), social trust was, also at the medium level (3.29 of 5), religious beliefs was above medium (3.63 of 5), and socio-economic status was below the medium level (2.68 of 5). Statistical tests showed no significant associations between the place of residence and social relations. Gender also was not significantly related to social relations. Marital status, education, and religiosity were significantly related to social relation.