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Attachment of Young People to Their Home District

Youth & Society

Published online on

Abstract

This article focuses on young people’s attachment to their home district. The purpose of this study was to establish how attached young people aged 17 were to their home district and what factors were involved in young people’s attachment to their home districts. The structure of the young people’s lives was studied on the basis of the developmental tasks belonging to this stage of life and their social capital. The initial hypothesis was that attachment to home district is gender bound and dependent on home municipality. The research material was gathered using questionnaires from three different types of municipality or rural district in eastern Finland, and responses were received from 852 young people in the final year of their basic education, a response rate of 90%. The results of the study show that above 80% of young people were attached to their home district; boys were more attached than girls and young people living in regional center were more attached than young people living in the rural areas. All in all, four of the most important areas in young people’s lives were found to be related to their attachment to the home district: (a) family and roots in the present home district, (b) sense of participation, especially in relation to home municipality, (c) enjoyment of school, and (d) preferring place of residence over choice of profession. The results of the study are important in preventing young people’s exclusion and in contributing to the success of the municipalities.