Teresa SEQUEIRA
Assistant Professor, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) & CETRAD
tsequeir@utad.pt
Herminia GONÇALVES
Assistant Professor, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) & CETRAD
hgoncalves@utad.pt
Bruno SANTOS FRANCISCO
Federal University of São Carlos and Ruralidade Verde, Lda
brunofrancisco@estudante.ufscar.br
António PIRRA
Assistant Professor, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD)
apirra@utad.pt
Veronika JOUKES
Assistant Professor, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) & CETRAD
veronika@utad.pt
Abstract
Quality of life is a multidimensional concept that has been gaining prominence in works intending to study the level of development of a territory, mainly based on secondary data treated statistically. Other approaches have emerged based on primary data, which is the case of this work.
This study captures the perception of residents in Vila Marim, a small parish in Portugal, about their quality of life by a survey technique based on the WHOQOL-BREF instrument.
The results obtained point to different weightings in the several domains of quality of life. In particular, we would like to point out that peri-urban areas have better indexes in the domains of general quality of life, social relations and the physical domain, while rural areas have better ones in the psychological and environment domains.
Additionally, it was added one open question to the original survey, which made possible to understand that issues related to income and physical security are common to all age groups. Health concerns increase with age as well as governance and basic rights are issues with improved importance.
These results show different sensitivities about how quality of life is experienced and, therefore, the importance of the methodology and territorial scale used.
This work was done in partnership with local government agents, and its results may serve as a basis for a more direct and immediate action, providing greater effectiveness and efficiency of policies to support the quality of life of residents in Vila Marim, Portugal and in other rural and peri-urban areas.
Keywords: Quality of Life, Low density territories, WHOQOL-BREF methodology, Regional sustainable development, Cohesion policies
JEL classification: I31, O18, R10
pp. 13-28