Influence of Environmental Perception on Place Attachment in Romanian Rural Areas

Dragos Darabaneanu (), Daniela Maci and Ionut Mihai Oprea
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Dragos Darabaneanu: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social-Humanistic Sciences, University of Oradea, Str. Universitatii, No. 6, Campus II, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Daniela Maci: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social-Humanistic Sciences, University of Oradea, Str. Universitatii, No. 6, Campus II, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Ionut Mihai Oprea: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social-Humanistic Sciences, University of Oradea, Str. Universitatii, No. 6, Campus II, 410087 Oradea, Romania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: This study analyzes aspects of place attachment in rural areas, as an element of social stability that determines attitudinal and behavioral patterns within a harmonious relationship between human beings and the environment. A higher level of place attachment generates efficient behavior patterns for the improvement of the problems caused by pollution and the degradation of natural environments. In the second section, we set out to measure the forms of manifestation of place attachment in rural areas and to identify effective strategies that can contribute to increasing the intensity of this phenomenon. We set out a study of the causality between environmental perception and place attachment. We carried out an investigation based on a questionnaire to determine the forms of manifestation of place attachment and environmental perception. We tested a statistical model to confirm or not the determining relationship between the two social phenomena. Our study also offers an original interpretation of environmental perception and explains the degree of intensity with which this phenomenon is felt at the individual level. The practical importance of this study lies in the fact that it offers a strategy proven by sociological analysis, which can be applied to stimulate an increase in intensity of the manifestation of feelings of place attachment, which ultimately leads to the spread of pro-environmental attitudinal and behavioral patterns.

Keywords: pro-environment behavior; place attachment; rural communities; collective attitudes; social inclusion; behavioral education; ecosystems conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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