Socio-demographic Structures Research Articles

An Evaluation of Design Proposals for Temporary Shelters Focused on Vulnerable Groups in Post-Disaster Situations

Vulnerable group-oriented temporary space design considers the unique needs and challenges specified groups face during emergencies and aims to create a supportive environment that promotes safety, comfort, and accessibility both physically and psychologically. In this study, the vulnerable group was addressed to women, and a literature study was conducted covering the design of temporary spaces in emergencies and the requirements of the identified group. Alternative temporary space designs were analyzed according to criteria determined from the literature study, and examples were examined with the space syntax method via Depthmap software. As a result, it was suggested that the role of architecture is a significant factor in improving the living conditions and welfare of vulnerable groups, especially women in post-disaster environments, considering different socio-demographic structures and many problems can be corrected with the determined design criteria.

Can arms breed peace? The consequence of arms imports from the US on civil wars

While little evidence sheds light on the positive role of arms, it is still arguably possible for arms imports to reduce conflicts. In this study, we examine whether and how arms imports from the US affect internal conflicts in 135 non-OECD countries. Leveraging a two-way interacted instrumental variable, we exploit a time-series variation of arms supply that arises from the political component of the US Congress and a cross-country variation of arms demand measured as the propensity of purchasing arms. Our analysis reveals that importing US arms exerts a significantly negative impact on the incidence of civil war, particularly in recipients with extreme climate conditions, scarce natural resources, or less diversified socio-demographic structures. We further provide explanations for such a positive role of arms imports by examining the existence of a deterrent effect, the enhancement of public confidence, and the strengthening of state capacity.

Do Perceived Barriers, Benefits, and Severity Have Effect on Mask-Wearing Habits During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic?

Introduction: The centers for disease prevention and control advise wearing a cloth face covering in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019, especially in situations when maintaining social distancing is challenging. As a result, the current study sought to identify the factors influencing mask behavior using constructs from the health belief model (HBM). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 311 participants who were referred to the Health Centers of Arak, Iran, from November 2021 to December 2021. The participants were selected through multi-stage stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and consisted of sociodemographic data, mask-wearing behavior, and structures of HBM regarding mask wearing. Results: The participants' mean (standard deviation) age was 37.9 (12) years (ranging from 18–81). The rate of “always” wearing a face mask was 57.9%. Multiple regression analysis revealed that mask-wearing behavior was associated with demographic variables (age and gender), perceived severity (β = 0.17, P < 0.001), perceived benefits (β = 0.24, P < 0.001), and self-efficacy (β = 0.35, P < 0.001). The HBM constructs explained 46% of the variance of mask-wearing behavior (F [9,301] = 30, R = 0.68, [P < 0.001]). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, HBM constructs can be treated as a predictor of mask wearing. Based on this predictor (self-efficacy, perceived severity, and benefits), effective interventions and healthy messages can be designed to improve mask-wearing behavior.

AN ANALYSIS ON PROJECT CHILDREN and HELICOPTER PARENTS

Bu araştırma ailenin çocuk yetiştirme tutumlarının önemi vurgulanarak ebeveynlerin sosyo-kültürel ve sosyo- demografik yapılarının öz yeterlilikleri bağlamında analiz edilmesine odaklanmıştır. Haim Ginott tarafından “helikopter ebeveyn” olarak tanımlanan aşırı koruyuculuk, literatürde genel olarak çocuklara ebeveynleri hakkındaki düşünceleri üzerine yapılan incelemelerdir. Bu makale ise daha önceleri yok denecek kadar az olan bir araştırma olarak ebeveynlere minik çocukları hakkındaki projeleri, gelecek planlaması ve kariyer düşünceleri üzerinde inceleme imkânı sunmaktadır. Araştırmada betimsel bir çalışma ile tarama modeli kullanılmış, ayrıca grafiksel yöntemler ve hipotez testi ile incelenmiştir. Bakış açısına ayna tutan olgu bilim deseni ile pekiştirme sağlanmıştır. Araştırma grubu 2018-2019 akademik yılları arasında İstanbul ilinde okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarına devam etmekte olan 92 öğrencinin ebeveynlerinden oluşmaktadır. Verilerin analizi, betimsel yöntemler, grafiksel yöntemler ve hipotez testi ile incelenmiştir. Hipotez testi için “Kolmogorov-Smirnov testi” kullanılmıştır.Araştırma sonucunda annelerin aşırı koruyucu olduğu, çocuklar için kararların anneler hatta büyük anneler tarafından alındığı, buna karşılık demokratik bir tutum içerisinde eşitlik açısından yüksek bir performans gösterdikleri görülmektedir. Ailelerde çocuklar üzerinde sıkı disiplin uygulandığı, ev kadınlığı rolünü reddetme yaşandığı ve aile bireyleri arasında iletişim sıkıntısı olduğu anlaşılmaktadır.

Socio-Demographic and Production Structures of Pomegranate Producing Enterprises In Hatay Province

The aim of this study is to reveal the socio-demographic status of pomegranate fruit producers, pomegranate production, the determination of the problems experienced during production and solution proposals in the Hatay province. Hatay province meets 4.25% of Turkey's total pomegranate production in 2019. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the total 63 pomegranate producers. The “Simple Random Sampling Method” was used to determine the producers. It has been observed that the fruit planting area has increased by 33% in the Hatay province since 2005. The yield increased by 48% and the production amount increased by 4.96 times of Hatay province between 2005 and 2019 years. The enterprises were divided into three different groups according to their size. It was observed that the 22.20% of farmers were female and 77.80% were male. The 95.2% of producers were between 15 and 64 ages, and 4.8% of them were 65 and over. The average number of family members in the enterprises was determined as 4.68 person. The average experience duration of farmers was 19.21 years. The eleven farmers were university graduates and three farmers were college graduates. 39,68 % of farmers are secondary and high school graduates. In the research, it was determined that the producers found the input prices high and the selling prices low in pomegranate production. The results revealed that if pomegranate production is supported by the state, lower cost, reasonable selling price, sufficient knowledge of the producers, procurement of seedlings of reasonable quality and price, pomegranate production amount may become more widespread and the increase interest of the production in the coming years in Hatay province which has suitable geographical location and is a gastronomy city.

Ecology of Laridae under conditions of unstable hydrological regime: colony sizes and synchronization of reproduction

The problem of criteria for distinguishing colonies from similar socio-demographic structures (mainly in terms of nesting density) is highly relevant and has remained in the focus of attention of ornithologists for a long time. The synchronization of reproduction in a colony is one of the criteria which require special development. Based on particular works (1972–2005), I present synchronization of the reproduction of gulls in colonies of different sizes. In contrast to previous studies, this paper uses a specially developed Index of Synchronization of Bird Breeding (Isr) to study this phenomenon, making it relatively easy to determine its level. The index distinguishes between different species of birds of this group: 75.7% (white-winged black tern) and 97.6% (black-headed gull) of the total variability of synchronization of breeding birds in colonies. Frequent failure of nesting attempts often causes repeated (compensatory) reproduction, which in the case of a mass manifestation significantly reduces the synchronization of the nesting period in colonies and thus significantly reduces this indicator. It is proved that a higher synchronization of reproduction characterizes small colonies (up to 50 nests). In all species of gulls, the beginning of reproduction in different colonies differs in terms of the appearance of the first eggs by 1–10 days and at the beginning of mass egg-laying – by 1–18 days. To the same extent, they differ in the timing of the hatching of eggs. In small colonies, the total egg-laying period is shorter by 34.9–49.7% compared to larger colonies. My observations show that large colonies are formed by the nesting of several small colonies on one plot. This phenomenon is noticeable during periods of mass re-nesting of birds after a high loss of nests (up to 69.5% or more) because of severe flooding. Differences in the breeding periods of colonies that differ in size appear when several small colonies with different breeding periods of birds are combined into one larger colony. This phenomenon is well detected in the formation of several sub-colonies and in the differences in the timing of reproduction of different parts of a large colony.

Ecology of Laridae under conditions of unstable hydrological regime: colony sizes and synchronization of reproduction

The problem of criteria for distinguishing colonies from similar socio-demographic structures (mainly in terms of nesting density) is highly relevant and has remained in the focus of attention of ornithologists for a long time. The synchronization of reproduction in a colony is one of the criteria which require special development. Based on particular works (1972–2005), I present synchronization of the reproduction of gulls in colonies of different sizes. In contrast to previous studies, this paper uses a specially developed Index of Synchronization of Bird Breeding (Isr) to study this phenomenon, making it relatively easy to determine its level. The index distinguishes between different species of birds of this group: 75.7% (white-winged black tern) and 97.6% (black-headed gull) of the total variability of synchronization of breeding birds in colonies. Frequent failure of nesting attempts often causes repeated (compensatory) reproduction, which in the case of a mass manifestation significantly reduces the synchronization of the nesting period in colonies and thus significantly reduces this indicator. It is proved that a higher synchronization of reproduction characterizes small colonies (up to 50 nests). In all species of gulls, the beginning of reproduction in different colonies differs in terms of the appearance of the first eggs by 1–10 days and at the beginning of mass egg-laying – by 1–18 days. To the same extent, they differ in the timing of the hatching of eggs. In small colonies, the total egg-laying period is shorter by 34.9–49.7% compared to larger colonies. My observations show that large colonies are formed by the nesting of several small colonies on one plot. This phenomenon is noticeable during periods of mass re-nesting of birds after a high loss of nests (up to 69.5% or more) because of severe flooding. Differences in the breeding periods of colonies that differ in size appear when several small colonies with different breeding periods of birds are combined into one larger colony. This phenomenon is well detected in the formation of several sub-colonies and in the differences in the timing of reproduction of different parts of a large colony.

The Effects of Online Learning on Students’ Performance: A Comparison Between UK and Jordan Universities

The global pandemic of Covid-19 has caused lockdowns across the globe, causing education institutions to shut down. As a result, classes have been held online. This study investigates the impact of online learning on student performance by comparing the impact on Jordan and the UK. Both countries have been reported to have high technological competency but are known to have varying sociodemographic structures. Surveys were conducted on undergraduate students from both countries (N = 780) to analyse students’ perception of online learning, self-perception of academic capabilities, and faculty performance during online learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on professors from both countries (N = 8). The findings indicate that both Jordan and the UK have been very similarly affected by in terms of student performance, with major challenges being in communication, technological competency, access to hardware for taking online classes, absenteeism, and drop-outs. Some benefits to student performance were identified as having access to recorded lectures, having more access to faculties through e-mail and extended office hours. Ethical implications were not commented on. Privacy concerns were largely voiced by faculties.

A Research on some socio-demographic characteristics of companion animal veterinarians and economic structures of companion animal clinics in Istanbul

Having a pet has become an important phenomenon in recent years and Istanbul stands out as the largest market. The aim of the study is to shine a spotlight on both the veterinarians working in this field and the students who plan to work by examining the economic status of clinics and the socio-demographic structures of veterinarians in Istanbul. Studies were conducted mostly face-to-face in 225 clinics between April 2019 and April 2021. The questionnaires were sent to a small number of veterinarians via e-mail. The first findings were that 42.4% and 63.6% of the mean age of the clinicians are male and the majority were Istanbul University graduates with 77.3%. Vast majority had a negative attitude towards the opening of new faculties (24.9% Bad - 75.1% Very Bad), and the majority (79.1%) had a negative attitude towards the provision of veterinary medicine education in foundation universities. According to the study, for the year 2020 the average monthly earning was 17618 TL (2499 USD) and 28.4% were less than 10000 TL (1418 USD). The largest income item was vaccination with 28.8%, and the largest expense item was drug expenditures with 23.9%. It had been determined that the average rental price paid was 9569 TL (1357 USD). According to the results, the average annual expenditure was 2822 TL (400 USD) for cats and 4516 TL (641 USD) for dogs. In addition, the annual average uncollectible receivables per clinic has been determined as 28444 TL (4034 USD), which meant a large loss of approximately 21 million TL (approx. 3 million USD) on a provincial basis. In general, the research concluded that veterinarians were satisfied with their professions with deficiencies in basic business information and could spend little time on their social lives due to long hours of work. From this point of view, it is of utmost importance to regulate the working conditions and to increase education programs in business matters during university year and beyond.

General perception of illness and gender differences in health seeking behaviour amongst Kom people of Boyo division in Cameroon during the COVID 19 pandemic

Background: Individual responses to health are influenced by an array of issues, ranging from personal traits, such as beliefs, to elements acquired through education and the socioeconomic environment. Individual responses to health became intensified during the COVID 19 pandemic in Cameroon. Health-seeking behavior is an important indicator of how health services are used and how they can modify the health outcomes of populations. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of illness and health-seeking behavior amongst the indigenous Kom people in Njinikom Sub Division, Cameroon within the COVID 19 pandemic era Cameroon to help facilitate this process of making health care choices within a brewing COVID 19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out by trained interviewers (five nurses), during which a total of 400 people (55.7% female) aged 18-60 years were chosen using multistage random sampling and interviewed after obtaining their informed consent. Data on the respondent's socio-demographic structures and patterns of illness and health-seeking behaviors in their last illness were collected using structured questionnaires. The study statistic used was Chi-square (X2), with a significant level (α) set at 0.05. Four components of community engagement were considered in the study, namely; (1) social support, (2) individual motivation, (3) service utilization, and (4) community acceptance. Results: The study revealed malaria as the most common disease (51%), followed by typhoid fever (21%). Results showed that women are more likely to seek health than males. The differences explained above were significant (X2 = 8.771, P = 0.003). A significant relationship was also observed between gender and health-seeking with an effect size of 0.148 (P = 0.003), as well as between level of education and health-seeking (X2 = 49.422, P < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between religion and health-seeking (X2 = 6.383, P = 0.076), as well as between occupation and health-seeking (X2 = 44.476, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Health-seeking behavior in Njinikom includes a high rate of self-medication and use of traditional medicine, due to the misconception of disease and the costs of health services. Even among respondents who prefer orthodox medicine, the principal reasons for its use were comparisons to traditional medicine, usually with a bad perceptional concept of it. Better health outcomes will be achieved if practical health literacy and promotional programs are developed that take into account the special needs of the community members and their living environment.

Intersectional Homophily: A New Measure of Multi-Dimensional Homophily in Social Network

Homophily in social life has been an increasingly important focus of social network research. However, most studies only measure homophily one dimension at a time, reducing an individual's identity to only one attribute. In reality, individuals belong to multiple social groups simultaneously. Knowing that homophily in one dimension usually spills over into homophily in a correlated dimension, recent scholarly works call for explicitly examining multiple dimensions simultaneously and also refining homophily measures to better match the theoretical intent. I use intersectionality as the theoretical foundation to bring socially constructed meaning among multiple social identities into homophily literature. I use a random data generator process to develop and test a new homophily measure that can simultaneously measure homophily on multiple dimensions such as race, gender, and age. The findings in this simulated setting provide evidence that intersectionality affects homophily because of intersecting identities; multiple identities interact in a complex way rather as opposed to being simple additives. In addition, I examine my newly developed measure on actual network datasets and the findings are consistent with those of the simulated scenarios. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of this measure and how this measure contributes to the deepening of our understanding of social interactions and the processes that create sociodemographic structures.

Ruralidad, agricultura y exclusión social Los efectos de la desigualdad territorial

In general, social exclusion in rural areas is attributed to economic backwardness. The paper examines the rural-urban habitat contribution over the factors that produce vulnerability. The AROPE index —risk of poverty and exclusion— is analyzed by a logistic regression model that considers —socio-demographic household structures and agrarian bonding— as factors and their interaction with the habitat as a moderator variable. The findings show, by one hand, rural habitat reduces the vulnerability differences producing a less unequal environment among inhabitants. By another hand, it implies the internalization inside the households of the inequalities in the access of the rural population to the welfare services. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

The investigation of flood risk perception as a quantitative analysis from socio-demographic perspective

The priority of flood management planning is physical victimization and focuses on taking structural measures. Although this approach is an accurate approach, more information is needed in implementing efficient precautionary and planning decisions. It is an indisputable fact that the existence of nothing that is not sustainable in nature cannot continue. Hence, it is necessary to implement a planning decision suitable for the structure of the population living in the region so that the continuity of the policies to be carried out against natural hazards of hydrometeorological origin such as a flood is ensured. How the socio-demographic structures affect the flood risk perception of 245 people living in the city center of Bayburt is examined in this study. It is the first research conducted for the province of Bayburt for this perspective. The participants were asked to fill a questionnaire containing 24 items and consisting of 2 sections. T test and one-way ANOVA (one-way analysis of variance) statistical methods were used to ascertain the difference between the responses of the participants to the questionnaire, based on their demographic structure. As the result of the study, significant differences were observed between the expressions depicting flood risk perception and the participant's age, income levels and educational background. In addition, it has been noted that there is a positive relationship between education and income levels and flood risk perception.

Has Household Purchasing of Confectionery Products in Turkey Changed in the Last Decade?

Although consumption of confectionery and chocolate products per capita in Turkey is considerably lower than that of the developed counties, there has recently been a rising trend in sugar consumption. The purpose of this study was to identify how and to what extent the significant changes in socio-demographic and economic structures of households in Turkey during the period of 2002-2013 influence monthly real spending on sugar, jam-marmalade, and confectionery products. The data was obtained by the annual household budget surveys of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) between 2002 and 2013. These surveys are annually conducted by TURKSTAT with nearly varying ten thousand randomly selected households throughout the nation for the period between January 1 and December 31. A multivariate Tobit model was used to determine factors affecting Turkish monthly household expenditure on three foods. Cross correlation coefficients among food pairs and marginal impacts of exogenous variables were also estimated. Almost 79% of households spend on confectionery foods, followed by 73% on sugar products and low 20% on jam-marmalade foods. According to results compared to the 2002 reference year, spending on sugar and jam-like food has declined over the years, while more spending on confectionery was emerging. Over the course of twelve years period, the sample households monthly spend 13.84, 3.73 and ₺ 12.91 on sugar, jam-marmalade and confectionery foods, respectively. The correlation coefficients among the food items were all positive and statistically significant, indicating that after controlling the role of independent variables in our model, uncontrolled variables along with measurement errors and any other functional forms induce both the spending on the two food pairs. Impacts of many socio-demographic and economic factors on monthly household spending of confectionery products including sugar were identified, and also years’ impacts on spending patterns were confirmed. By years, the age variable had different effects on the food spending of the three categories. Nonetheless, it has been identified that the families whose household heads have a green card spend different amounts both for sugar and confectionery products annually. It has also been identified that while only confectionery food product spending of the families who receive in-kind and financial aids differs annually, all three categories of food spending differ significantly as the numbers of working individuals changes yearly. Results permitted us to draw relevant policy implications and to shape policy formation for future effective food programs or policies.

A critical analysis on hybrid renewable energy modeling tools: An emerging opportunity to include social indicators to optimise systems in small communities

The arrival of different renewable energy and storage technologies with lower costs is helping smaller communities to gain access to affordable electricity resources through energy systems fed from heterogeneous generation resources. With the growing popularity of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES), a novel kind of end-user software tool has also emerged to help planners optimize such energy installations. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of research articles that warn about the need for considering social indicators such as job creation and social acceptance when designing HRESs in addition to the usual considerations of economical, technical, and environmental criteria. Consequently, the design of HRESs could also be optimized by adding such new social parameters. Mainly, this article presents a complete review of the most popular tools for designing HRESs, and the main conclusion of this survey is that these tools do not consider social factors which is a real opportunity to boost the capabilities of such software packages. Also, this research provides valuable information for the developers of HRES optimization tools, providing them, on the one hand, with insights about the advantages of including social parameters during technology assessment and, on the other hand, with a guide to help them with selecting the most pertinent tool at each case, allowing designers to make the most of the socio-demographic structures and obtain more advantages from local renewable resources.

Qualitative indicators of crime in Ukraine: a comparative analysis for 2017–2018

Qualitative indicators of crime in Ukraine: a comparative analysis for 2017–2018

Diversidad Regional en España del Uso del Coche para Ir a Trabajar: ¿Diferencias de Comportamiento o de Composición?

Environmental and social sustainability of commuting to work is an increasingly relevant line of research. The starting point of this paper is that a significant internal territorial heterogeneity persists on aggregate indexes of car use and that it is important to measure and understand this process correctly. This contribution propose the method of decomposition of aggregate rates (Das Gupta) as a valid methodology to understand correctly regional heterogeneity. Part of these geographical differences (between regions, degree of urbanization) is explained by a real behaviour gap. However, the sociodemographic and territorial compositions of the working populations are important as well. That is because the propensity to use the private vehicle varies along certain characteristics of the workers, and regional population structures linked to those characteristics are heterogeneous. From a policy point of view, to control (and eventually reduce) the use of cars in labour daily mobility must take into account both behaviour and composition factors. Corrective measures that only point to the behaviour of people might fail if they do not take into account the momentum of sociodemographic structures.

Improving household surveys and use of data to address health inequities in three Asian cities: protocol for the Surveys for Urban Equity (SUE) mixed methods and feasibility study

IntroductionAs rapid urbanisation transforms the sociodemographic structures within cities, standard survey methods, which have remained unchanged for many years, under-represent the urban poorest. This leads to an overly positive picture...

Distribution of Local Social Services and Territorial Justice: the Case of Estonia

AbstractDistribution of public resources has always been a central issue in public policy. The question of spatial variation in resource allocation as a reflection of differing local conditions is particularly important in decentralised countries with a large number of subunits. On the local level, studies have shown variations in distribution of local welfare but have usually focused on single social policy fields and/or target groups, and often ignored territorial structures. By taking Estonia as a case, this study investigates whether and how the distribution of a range of social services and the structure of disaggregated local social spending corresponds to local socio-demographic conditions. We identify municipal clusters and analyse service provision and social spending on vulnerable groups within them. We use a spatial perspective by taking into consideration the distinction of rural-urban and core-peripheral settings. We show that resource allocation in Estonian municipalities mirrors quite well local socio-demographic structures but the division of municipalities between towns and rural municipalities used in the common discourse of local social policy is too simplified.

Factors Affecting Domestic Water Consumption on the Spanish Mediterranean Coastline

During the last decades on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline there has been a great development of low-density urban areas, as well as a change in the sociodemographic structures, especially in the municipalities that have developed a residential tourism model. Likewise, urban and tourist development have stressed the balance between the availability of water resources and urban water demands, generating situations of scarcity that might be aggravated by climate change. This study identifies the determinants of water consumption on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline, focusing on the variables related to urban land uses and socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables at the municipal level using an ordinary least square (OLS) and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The GWR model results substantially improved the results of the OLS model, explaining 88.27 percent of the variance in domestic water consumption and solving the spatial autocorrelation problem of some independent variables. The most influential variables include the percentage of second homes or the percentage of residential properties with swimming pools at the municipal level. These characteristics must be considered to develop demand management policies and an updated hydrological planning to ensure urban supply in a future with less available water resources.