%0 Thesis
%9 Pre-master
%A Kurt, Bilgehan
%D 2024
%F theses_frw:4783
%P 40
%T Should I stay or should I go? A qualitative approach to the perceived accessibility to health services, educational and career opportunities and public transport of people between the ages of 18 and 32 in the province of Groningen
%U https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4783/
%X The youth in rural areas have been leaving rural areas to study for their tertiary education in the bigger cities. Upon completing their education, most of them do not seem to return to their rural areas. At the same time, the liveability in rural areas is decreasing as the number of amenities as well as population sizes are declining. There is limited understanding of how people between the ages of 18 and 32 in the province of Groningen perceive their accessibility in rural and urban areas. The research question was: ‘How do people between the ages of 18 and 32, who have migrated from a rural area to the city of Groningen, perceive their accessibility to health services, educational opportunities, career opportunities, and public transportation in rural and urban areas?’ The aim of this study is to find out the reasons why individuals prefer to stay in the city or return to rural areas. A qualitative approach was chosen, involving two rounds of in-depth interviews with individuals who had lived in rural areas before relocating to an urban area. Participants were recruited through the convenience sampling method and the data was analysed using thematic analysis with Atlas.TI. To explore their perceived accessibility, four domains were chosen as domains of interest; health services, educational opportunities, career opportunities, and public transport. The results showed that the participants did perceive an improvement in their accessibility in the urban areas, compared to the rural areas. The main reasons that contributed to this improvement were a decrease in the distance that needed to be covered to healthcare and educational facilities, the presence of multiple health and educational facilities, increased job demand, lower car dependency, and service quality of public transport. Based on the results of the study, a future research recommendation looking at how practically educated individuals perceive their accessibility is made. It is recommended that governments invest in public transportation in rural areas.