Linear Development Model Research Articles

Community Attachment in a Rural Region1

Abstract Two models of community attachment in mass society—the linear development model and the systemic model—are reviewed. Based on data from respondents living in 27 communities in north‐central Iowa, population size and density, key variables in the linear‐development model, relate only weakly to community attachment as measured by social bonds and local sentiments. Length of residence, income, and age, which are variables in the systemic model, generally are more strongly related to the bonds and sentiments. Because samples were sufficiently large that data for each community could be analyzed independently, additional tests of the systemic model were possible; results indicate that differences occur among communities within an area thought to be relatively homogeneous.

Community Development and Metropolitan Religious Commitment: A Test of Two Competing Models

The religious geography of America is characterized by an east-west split. Metropolitan church membership rates in the Mountain and Pacific states are substantially lower than in the rest of the country. This paper accounts for this difference by developing two opposing models of community structure. The linear development model predicts that urbanization and population density are negatively associated with metropolitan church membership rates. The systemic model predicts that population instability and migration are more important determinants of community religious commitment. Analysis shows that migration variables are more important in predicting church commitment. Further, when regional rates are adjusted for migration, the regional differences in