Author Date

2025-03-12

Degree Name

BS

Department

Sociology

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Defense Date

2025-03-07

Publication Date

2025-03-12

First Faculty Advisor

Michael Cope

First Faculty Reader

Scott Sanders

Second Faculty Reader

Eric Dahlin

Honors Coordinator

Michael Cope

Keywords

Community satisfaction, Length of Residence, Rural Utah

Abstract

The Olympics served as a mega-event during the early 2000’s which greatly affected the surrounding areas in rural Utah. There were social disruptions and changes in the community that altered resident’s perceptions of their community in which they had lived most of their life: however, it also became a community of interest due to the publicity and traction the Olympics brought to Heber and surrounding areas. This study seeks to explore the relationship between length of residence as a moderator between time and community satisfaction in Heber, Wallsburg, Daniel, and Charleston Utah during pre-boom, boom, and post-boom time periods. Additionally, it proposes that certain demographic factors may affect how someone views their community and why community satisfaction changes over time within the theoretical Boomtown framework. Data was gathered through the Brigham Young University Survey Research Center administered annually from 2001-2003, with additional survey data gathered in 2007, 2012 and 2018. The sample population contained 2,187 people and linear regression was used to analyze this data. The results conclude that length of residence does moderate the relationship between time and community satisfaction and warrants a greater need to explore how this relationship appears in other parts of the rural United States.

Download

Share

COinS