Not all trails are straight: Residential aspirations and place attachment of rural queer young adults

IF 5.1 1区社会学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY

Journal of Rural Studies Pub Date : 2025-04-23 DOI:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103673

Zach Davis , Mindy S. Crandall , Jessica E. Leahy , Kathleen P. Bell , Catharine Biddle

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Young adult out-migration poses challenges for rural communities as they strive to address workforce shortages, population decline, and broader social and economic issues. In addition, certain groups of young people in rural areas, such as queer young adults, face additional identity-based challenges that can influence their migration decisions and distinguish aspects of their decision-making from other young adults. Using a qualitative approach, interviews with 17 queer young adult college students from a rural area were conducted to better understand how this group experiences nature and forms residential aspirations. Results show that queer rural young adults desire to live in communities that value diversity, promote acceptance, and have accessible nature. Our work also showed that queer rural young adults value nature for more than just outdoor recreation; they also value it as a mental health resource. Our findings offer insights for rural communities on how to attract and retain queer residents, such as investing in and connecting queer young adults to a community's natural amenities and by displaying symbols of acceptance.

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并非所有的道路都是笔直的：农村酷儿年轻人的居住愿望和地方依恋

在农村社区努力解决劳动力短缺、人口减少以及更广泛的社会和经济问题之际，年轻人向外迁移给农村社区带来了挑战。此外，农村地区的某些青年群体，如同性恋青年，面临着基于身份的额外挑战，这些挑战可能影响他们的移徙决定，并使他们的决策在某些方面有别于其他青年成年人。本文采用定性方法，对来自农村地区的17名青年酷儿大学生进行了访谈，以更好地了解这一群体如何体验自然并形成居住愿望。结果显示，农村的酷儿年轻人希望生活在重视多样性、促进接受性和可接近性的社区。我们的研究还表明，农村的酷儿年轻人看重自然，而不仅仅是户外娱乐；他们还将其视为一种心理健康资源。我们的研究结果为农村社区提供了如何吸引和留住酷儿居民的见解，例如投资并将酷儿年轻人与社区的自然设施联系起来，并通过展示接受的象征。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Rural Studies Multiple-

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

9.80%

发文量

286

期刊介绍： The Journal of Rural Studies publishes research articles relating to such rural issues as society, demography, housing, employment, transport, services, land-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation. The focus is on those areas encompassing extensive land-use, with small-scale and diffuse settlement patterns and communities linked into the surrounding landscape and milieux. Particular emphasis will be given to aspects of planning policy and management. The journal is international and interdisciplinary in scope and content.