Investigating the Factors Affecting the Vitality and Liveliness of Rural Households (Case Study: Fuman Township)

Liveliness and vitality have been considered one of the indicators of rural development since 2000 by international organizations, especially the United Nations, to determine the level of rural development and the development of countries. Most development-related organizations have referred to vitality as one of the important indicators of rural development. However, one of the most important issues in studying vitality in rural areas is identifying the factors affecting it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the liveliness of rural households. The present study employs a descriptive-analytical method and is applied in terms of purpose. The data collection tools were questionnaires and interviews with a sample selected from 170 households in Fuman County (N = 18675). Descriptive statistics, unlimited heuristic coefficient rank test, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. The results of measuring rural households’ liveliness using the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire showed that households' liveliness was at a desirable level. The results of the indices affecting vitality showed that out of 30 indices, 18 indices had the most effect on households’ happiness. In addition, the results of structural equation modeling suggested that the second-order standard model of households' liveliness and path coefficients are influenced by institutional-managerial, physical, economic, personal-psychological, social, environmental, geographical, and occupational factors, respectively. The p-values of all of the lambda parameters in the above model indicate that all relationships are confirmed.