Servicios educativos y sanitarios elementales en el medio rural: Percepción social e influencia sobre la calidad de vida

Abstract

One of the main characteristics of rural areas is a higher quality of life. However, the basic aspects of the social structure, e.g. the basic education and health-care services, are barely responsible for the wellbeing of the society, although the necessity of improving their offer is continually emphasised. Consequently, it is interesting to dis- cover how the rural population actually values the capacity of these services to intervene in their quality of life. Logically, because of the diversity of spaces that constitute the rural areas, the results vary; at least that is what the analysis of the interviews of various key actors shows: while the services are crucial for the municipalities with low population, especially because the health-care services facilitate the social structure, for those with a higher population they barely stand out from other aspects, e.g. the landscape, space, tranquillity, etc., because due to a higher population they are guaranteed.