Antje presents insights on well-being and place attachment in rural Southeast Europe during the ISQOLS Annual Conference

23 August 2023

Antje participated in the recently concluded 2023 ISQOLS Annual Conference. She presented preliminary results from an ongoing paper titled “Place attachment, (im)mobility decisions and well-being in rural Southeast Europe.” This collaborative work involves team member Arjola and colleagues from IAMO Tom Dufhues and Judith Möllers. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, preliminary insights reveal that not all stayers wish to stay, and not all movers wish to move. Initial results further point to different types of attachments to place that the team coined typologies: the (i) traditional stayer and the (ii) reluctant mover are characterized by lower levels of well-being such as negative emotions, lower life satisfaction, and less empowerment. On the other side, the (iii) active stayer and the (iv) opportunity mover exhibit higher levels of well-being such as positive emotions, higher life satisfaction, and more empowerment.

Further work will focus on investigating whether place attachment is a predictor, a mediator, or a dimension of well-being. Subsequently, the RuWell team will conduct additional ethnographic research to refine typologies of (non)attachments in Moldova and Romania this autumn.