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IJARAS
International Journal of Academic Research in Applied Science 3(8): 77-86, 2014 ijaras.isair.org
Investigating the Relationship between Social Capital and Lifestyle in Rural Communities: Case Study of the Villages Located in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran Reibvar Isanezhad, Shapour Zarifian, Hosein Raheli, Hosein Kouhestani Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran Email:
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Abstract Since Iran’s rural communities are exposed to transition from a traditional lifestyle to a modern one, they have experienced fundamental changes. These changes can be examined at social and individual scales in the form of new concepts like social capital and lifestyle. The present study was aimed at investigating the relationship between lifestyle and social capital in rural communities. The study statistical population included all villages of East Azerbaijan Province in 2013. The sample consisted of 420 individuals who were selected by a multistage cluster sampling method. The instrument of the study was a questionnaire of social capital and lifestyle. The study was conducted by a correlational descriptive method. Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. The results of the study indicated that there was a positive significant relationship between social trust and all components of lifestyle (cultural consumption, spending priorities, and leisure time) (p