Measuring Change in Rural Communities: Objective and Subjective Approaches

Abstract

Each year some communities grow while others decline. This change can be measured in two ways: using objective measures such as population change or using subjective measures such as the residents' perceptions of change. This study used both subjective and objective measures to assess the effect of community change in two areas: the demographic characteristics of the residents and the attitudes of residents toward the growth processes of migration and fertility. The population change measure and residents' perceptions of change were related but not identical. Twoway analyses of variance showed that population change is most sensitive when focusing upon the demographic characteristics of residents. However, when examining residents' attitudes toward migration and fertility, the residents' perceptions of change are more sensitive. A model for incorporating both subjective and objective approaches to studying change, and implications of the model for practitioners are presented.