In recent decades, rural districts in Denmark have had to face a number of growing problems, such as depopulation, loss of work places, and loss of public and private services. The purpose of this report is to investigate whether these problems have been accompanied by a decline in the self-perceived life quality of citizens living in rural districts. The report draws on questionnaire data from the Danish Values Studies (DVS). By using DVS, it has been possible to analyze the development in life quality over the years 1990, 1999 and 2008. This was done both in relation to a 3-point-scale city size variable (dividing Denmark into rural areas, town areas, and city areas), and in relation to a 3-point-scale county variable (dividing Denmark into peripheral regions, intermediate regions, and center regions). The report uses two measures of life quality contained in the DVS: self-perceived life satisfaction and self-perceived happiness. In the period 1990-2008, citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions were found to be just as satisfied with their lives as other Danish citizens. Moreover, life satisfaction among citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions has remained unchanged throughout the period, both in absolute and relative terms. In absolute terms, the feeling of happiness among citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions has also remained unchanged throughout the period. However, in 1990, citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions were happier than citizens living in other areas. This has been replaced by a situation in 2008 where citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions were only just as happy as citizens in most of the other parts of the country. Thus, citizens in rural areas and peripheral regions have faced some relative decline in self-perceived happiness throughout the investigated period. With this, the report finds some, although weak, signs that life quality in Danish rural districts has decreased since 1990.
Summary of CLF Report 14/2012
