A Multidimensional Exploration of the Foundations of Community Attachment among Seasonal and Year‐Round Residents

Abstract

Utah is a popular second‐home destination because of its unique landscapes offering numerous natural amenities. This research utilized data from a mail survey of residents in six Utah counties and had two objectives: (1) to test a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment and (2) to determine if the foundations of community attachment, based on those conceptual dimensions, are different for year‐round and seasonal residents. The study utilized structural equation models, which allow the use of latent variables, to complete those objectives. Results revealed that a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment is appropriate. The conceptual dimensions (social bonds, participation, and sentiments) used in this research all proved to be important elements of the higher order construct “community attachment” for both year‐round and seasonal residents. For year‐round residents, community attachment is best predicted by the social bonds dimension, while for seasonal residents the participation dimension is most important. However, all three of the dimensions of attachment used herein are important among both residence categories, indicating that future research on this topic would be best served by using a multidimensional conceptualization of community attachment.

“Not Allowed to Inherit My Kingdom”: Amenity Development and Social Inequality in the Rural West

“…The factors that influence the success of amenity‐based tourism development appear to have social origins and implications as well (Crowe ). Researchers question the impact of tourism and in‐migration on different measures of community well‐being, such as stability and density of relationships, collective action, informal social contracts, and attachment of residents (Brehm, Eisenhauer, and Krannich ; Jennings and Krannich ; Krannich and Petrzelka ; Lichtenstein ; Stedman ; Ulrich‐Schad et al ). There is also concern about conflicts between long‐term residents and newer in‐migrants, as “newcomers from urban areas into rural communities … upset the local power and stratification system and bring different values and attitudes to the community” (Lichter and Brown :572).…”

“…The factors that influence the success of amenity-based tourism development appear to have social origins and implications as well (Crowe 2006). Researchers question the impact of tourism and inmigration on different measures of community well-being, such as stability and density of relationships, collective action, informal social contracts, and attachment of residents (Brehm, Eisenhauer, and Krannich 2004;Jennings and Krannich 2013;Krannich and Petrzelka 2003;Lichtenstein 2004;Stedman 2006;Ulrich-Schad et al 2013).…”

“…The phenomenon of newcomers having separate local social networks has been documented by other researchers as well. See, for example,Jennings and Krannich 2013;Stedman 2006. …”

A transnational bicultural place model of cultural selves and psychological citizenship: The case of Chinese immigrants in Britain

“…It can also differentiate long-term stayers (whose attachment is based on social reasons and reflects loyalty) from sojourners or seasonal visitors, who may still claim attachment, but whose attachment is based more on the attractiveness or memorability of physical features of the community/place (Jennings & Krannich, 2013). For these two reasons, residence length is an appropriate attribute for defining psychological citizenship.…”

Place-Based Stewardship Education: Nurturing Aspirations to Protect the Rural Commons

“…Lives measured in income and material achievements are aspirations the planet cannot sustain. Instead, many rural people find a sense of purpose in the social bonds and involvement in community affairs that reflect the attachment they feel for their communities (Jennings & Krannich, 2013). As advocates of place-based learning have observed, the dignity of a human life inheres in the positive impact one can have on the lives of others, and education has a major role to play in cultivating such communal dimensions of the aspirations of younger generations (Theobald, 2006).…”