The Relationship between Place Attachment and Participatory Behaviors of Rural Residents (Case Study: Rural District of Mashayekh, Mamasani County)

Many rural settlements of Iran are facing many problems including low level of employment and income, adverse effects of climate change, and inappropriate access to facilities and services. In this situation, villagers' participatory behaviors in various affairs of the local community can play a positive important role in improving the quality of life and improving the local environment. Considering the importance of the matter, this research investigated the relationship between place attachment and rural residents’ participatory behaviors in Mashaikh village rural district. The statistical population of this study is the villages with a population of at least 100 people of Mashayekh rural district, Mamasani County. The analysis unit is all people aged 18 and over. The sampling was done using the classified probabilistic method, and the questionnaire was filled by 380 people. Data were analyzed using some statistical tests by applying SPSS software. Based on the results of One-sample T-test, at 95% confidence level, the average values of participatory behaviors and place attachment are significantly above average. There is a significant positive relationship between villagers' place attachment and their participatory behaviors (r=0.424; p-value<0.001). A significant positive relationship was also observed between place attachment and each of the five dimensions of participatory behaviors. The result of one-way analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference between the studied villages in terms of participatory behaviors. Similar results were obtained for place attachment. Place attachment and participatory behaviors, as two powerful factors, can play an important role in rural development, and the positive relationship between them shows that the two factors can have a desirable and valuable synergy to benefit the rural settlements.