Suchergebnisse

AbstractPrior research has demonstrated that migration intentions are a moderate to strong predictor of individual‐level migration across a wide range of countries, but their value for predicting community‐level population change remains unclear. Analyses of census data 1972–2012 and a population survey of Icelandic adolescents in 1992 show that each percentage point difference in adolescent migration intentions is associated with 1.36 per cent change in the surveyed cohort and 1.25 per cent change in the total population over a 20‐year period. Roughly half of the predictive value of migration intentions can be attributed to remoteness and long‐term population change prior to the survey. On average, communities only experienced long‐term population decline when more than half the adolescent population had intended to leave, but lower levels of adolescent migration intentions are associated with changes in the age composition. These results strongly suggest that adolescent migration intentions signal future population development.

Post-print (lokagerð höfundar) ; Preferred emigration destinations among adolescents reflect images and stereotypes of other countries that continuously emerge in a multitude of local and global discourses and from concrete experiences with other countries. The affinities of Icelandic adolescents are split between the islands of the Northern Atlantic, continental Nordic countries, European core countries, and North American countries. If they had to leave Iceland, however, the largest proportion of Icelandic adolescents would want to move to the United States. Girls are more likely to choose the Nordic countries, in particular Denmark, while boys are more likely to choose English-speaking countries with a reputation for economic and military power such as the United States and England. Adolescents are more likely to prefer migrating to Europe rather than North America if they are proud of their Icelandic nationality, live in cohesive communities, have more educated parents, and feel closer to Europe. Adolescents who want to move abroad are in contrast most likely to have North American destinations in mind. Recent geopolitical changes may however shift the attention of Icelandic adolescents eastward towards the European continent. ; This article has benefited greatly from extensive discussions with Atli Hafthorsson, Brynhildur Thorarinsdottir, Kjartan Olafsson and Michael S. Gibbons, and from the pioneering scholarship of Professor Thorbjorn Broddason. The data collection was in part made possible by a grant from the University of Akureyri Research Fund. ; Peer Reviewed

AbstractDifficulties in recruiting qualified teachers have been traced to insufficient services and amenities in rural areas, an urban emphasis in teacher education, few local students becoming teachers and a lack of teacher mobility. This study maps the mobility of recently graduated teachers in urban, exurban, micropolitan and other rural areas of Iceland. The graduation rate of teachers was found to be higher in rural than urban areas, yet rural teachers are less likely to remain after graduation. Relatively few rural teachers return from on‐campus studies in the either the capital area or the northern regional centre. Rural distance students are however almost equally likely as urban on‐campus students to stay in their home areas after graduation, and they are the majority of teachers in rural areas. From a policy perspective, distance education appears more effective than regional campuses in increasing the supply of qualified teachers in rural and remote areas.

School surveys are currently the most important method of collecting data on alcohol and drug use among youth. Although methodological studies suggest that school surveys yield reliable and valid estimates of substance use among youth, it has been argued that results will be affected by the level of perceived anonymity. Longitudinal research designs raise an important question in this respect since follow-up makes complete anonymity impossible. In fact, responses to such surveys should be regarded as confidential rather than anonymous. This study compares the reported use of cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis between an anonymous, cross-sectional survey and a confidential, longitudinal survey. Both females and males in the confidential survey have a slightly higher rate of non-response for lifetime cannabis use. Furthermore, females tend to be slightly less likely to admit to any use of alcohol and cannabis in the confidential survey, and those who do admit to having used cigarettes and alcohol, report slightly fewer occasions. The correlations between use of cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis are not affected by this bias. These results add further support to earlier research that has found school surveys to be a robust method of data collection, and suggests that the bias introduced by identification numbers in longitudinal research has limited practical significance.

The Icelandic folk model of fishing success emphasizes the importance of the skipper. The validity of this folk model has recently been hotly debated in the social science literature. In this study an attempt is made to estimate the role of the skipper in fishing success. First, we document by a national survey the composition of the folk model of fishing success held by the Icelandic public. Second, drawing on extensive interview data we outline the model of fishing success proposed by skippers themselves. Third, we test this folk science of the skipper by means of visual and statistical analysis against a social science model that emphasizes the role of material factors. The results show that fishing success is not determined by technological and material factors, leaving plenty of room for human factors, such as the skills and knowledge of the skipper. These results are consistent with folk notions of the skipper effect, but contradictory to earlier results of social science. Finally, the results are discussed in a theoretical context with reference to resource management and the nature of folk models.

An increasing number of divorced parents in Western countries have joint physical custody of their children. A comparative study of children in 36 European, Mediterranean, and North American countries found that 0–4% spend about half their time in two homes. Such arrangements were virtually unknown in many Southern and Eastern European countries while they were more common than single father households in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Impaired communication with both mother and father was significantly less likely in joint physical custody than in other non-intact families. Impaired communication with mother was equally prevalent in intact families and joint physical custody families while impaired communication with father was in fact less prevalent in joint physical custody than intact families.

The adolescent production of blogs has created an adolescent public sphere that transcends both intimate circles of friends and the adolescent communities of specific schools or neighborhoods. Almost all 15—16 year old adolescents in Iceland regularly read blogs and many read blogs on a daily basis. Blogs by best friends and adolescents in the concrete adolescent community are most popular but a third of the population follows blogs that originate in the more abstract adolescent society. About three out of four girls and one out of three boys maintain their own blogpages and read blogs by other adolescents on a regular basis. Adolescents that write blogs are more involved in various activities associated with higher status in adolescent communities but lower status in the adult-controlled school community. The adolescent blogosphere may constitute an emergent digital adolescent society where inequalities in adolescent communities are reproduced.

Post-print (lokaútgáfa höfunda) ; The adolescent production of blogs has created an adolescent public sphere that transcends both intimate circles of friends and the adolescent communities of specific schools or neighborhoods. Almost all 15-16 year old adolescents in Iceland regularly read blogs and many read blogs on a daily basis. Blogs by best friends and adolescents in the concrete adolescent community are most popular but a third of the population follows blogs that originate in the more abstract adolescent society. About three out of four girls and one out of three boys maintain their own blogpages and read blogs by other adolescents on a regular basis. Adolescents that write blogs are more involved in various activities associated with higher status in adolescent communities but lower status in the adult-controlled school community. The adolescent blogosphere may constitute an emergent digital adolescent society where inequalities in adolescent communities are reproduced. ; Peer Reviewed

Post-print (lokagerð höfundar) ; Rural communities in Iceland have been profoundly affected by natural resource management policies. As part of a regional development strategy, a large aluminum smelter and 650-megawatt hydroelectric plant were built in the sparsely populated Eastfjords region. This project was aimed at revitalizing the region and creating employment, enabling youth to stay in their home communities. Using surveys from 1992 through 2007, changes in migration expectations are compared among Eastfjords, equally rural Westfjords far from the project, and the urban capital region. The majority of rural youth want to out-migrate and the project had no discernable effect on such intentions. Regardless of employment opportunities, rural youth increasingly want to move to urban areas or abroad. Gender differences disappeared over time as "female flight" became "youth flight." Findings suggest large-scale natural resource projects alone are not sufficient, and more comprehensive rural development policies are needed to stem the tide of rural youth out-migration. ; Received 30 May 2008; accepted 5 March 2009. C. L. Seyfrit received a Fulbright Scholar award funded by the U.S. Department of State with contributions from the government of Iceland and hosted by the University of Akureyri (January–June 2008). Address correspondence to Carole L. Seyfrit, Department of Sociology, Radford University, PO Box 6948, Radford, VA 24142, USA. E-mail: clseyfrit@radford.edu ; Peer Reviewed

This paper examines differences in life satisfaction among children in different family structures in 36 western, industrialised countries (n = 184 496). Children living with both biological parents reported higher levels of life satisfaction than children living with a single parent or parent–step‐parent. Children in joint physical custody reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction than their counterparts in other types of non‐intact families. Controlling perceived family affluence, the difference between joint physical custody families and single mother or mother–stepfather families became non‐significant. Difficulties in communicating with parents were strongly associated with less life satisfaction but did not mediate the relation between family structure and life satisfaction. Children in the Nordic countries characterised by strong welfare systems reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction in all living arrangements except in single father households. Differences in economic inequality between countries moderated the association between certain family structures, perceived family affluence and life satisfaction.