An Analysis of the Social Values of Youths in Rural Areas and the Factors Affecting Them

Value is defined as a thing that attracts the attention of society and is the basic motivation of activity and social trends. Internalized values conduct the individual in social orientations and help him to recognize where, when and how to behave. The aim of this study is to understand rural youngster's most important social values.The main methods in this study were ‘documentary’ and ‘survey’. The data collected was carried out through interview with 545 rural youths who were selected by employing multiple stage sampling method. The data shows that %65/8 rural youths are universalists. 83.3% of the interviewees state that the gender of their children does not make any difference to them. %55/7 of the interviewees have very low interests for living in rural areas. Since 34.6% of respondents categorize themselves as lower class, there is a significant difference between their class self-concept and their ideal class; 75% believe there is a low justice in society. 92.8% of rural people emphasize their nationality as being Iranians. They have little trust in their friends. The motivation for advancement among the youths is higher than average. Their satisfaction with life, their educational level, their climatic conditions and their exposure to mass media directly affect their social values. The data also show their age, gender, marital status, economical situation, their connection to urban areas and the potential availability of urban facilities could indirectly affect their social values.