Because mobility is associated with rural social decline, this two-phase cross sectional study investigates whether social patterns in small, rural Australian towns are affected by commuting. Quantitative data, which was gathered via a mail-out questionnaire (response = 54 per cent) that was issued to 1,040 occupationally diverse professionals who worked in fourteen towns throughout north-western Victoria, was analysed to determine whether commuting and non-commuting professionals differed significantly in their community involvement. To explain why certain relationships emerged from survey analysis, face-toface interviews were subsequently undertaken with 24 questionnaire respondents. The key finding of this study is that there is a significant relationship between commuting status and the retention of rural professionals. A significantly greater proportion of noncommuters than commuters remain working in the one location for longer than five years. This finding has important implications for the sustainability of rural areas. / Doctor of Philosophy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/266107 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Devers, Deanna |
| Publisher | University of Ballarat |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Coyright Deanna Devers |
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