The issue of youth stay and subsistence in rural areas

Mladi su neophodan resurs ruralnih zajednica koji postaje ugrožen uslijed značajnog trenda iseljavanja s ruralnih područja. Pretežno mladi sele za boljim poslovnim mogućnostima, zbog nedostatka kulturnog i zabavnog sadržaja te sužene mogućnosti ostvarenja vlastitih potencijala. Karlovačka županija kao pretežno ruralna i podložna egzodusu mladih čini savršen teren za provedbu istraživanja. Prvi dio rada je teorijski okvir istraživanja te pregled dosadašnje literature na temu mladih u ruralnim područjima. Drugi dio rada, empirijski, proveden je kvalitativnom metodom polustrukturiranog telefonskog intervjua s 15 sugovornika iz pojedine općine ili grada županije. Cilj rada je utvrditi zadovoljstvo mladih životom na selu u Karlovačkoj županiji kroz prednosti i nedostatke te je cilj odrediti motive za ostanak ili odlazak sa sela. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su kako su mladi skloni seliti se zbog nedostatka posla i nemogućnosti ostvarenja vlastitih potencijala. Također, rezultati pokazuju kako je kvaliteta života u općinama različita te mlade uz selo veže neobjašnjiv osjećaj privrženosti zbog kojeg i biraju ostati u istom.Youth are a necessary resource of rural communities, which is becoming endangered due to a significant trend of emigration from rural areas. Mostly young people move for better business opportunities, due to the lack of cultural and entertainment content and narrowed opportunities to realize their potential. Karlovac County, as predominantly rural and subject to the exodus of young people, is the perfect terrain for conducting research. The first part of the paper is a theoretical framework of research and a review of current literature on youth in rural areas. The second part of the paper, empirically, was conducted by a qualitative method of semi-structured telephone interview with 15 respondents from a particular municipality or town county. The aim of this paper is to determine the satisfaction of young people with life in the countryside in Karlovac County through the advantages and disadvantages, and the aim is to determine the motives for staying or leaving the village. The results of the research showed that young people tend to move due to lack of work and inability to realize their potential. Also, the results show that the quality of life in the municipalities is different and young people have an inexplicable sense of attachment to the village, which is why they choose to stay in it