Rural sociology in Estonia

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Rural sociology in Estonia

• Marko Kaasik
• University of Tartu
• Estonian Agricultural University
• mkaasik_at_ut.ee

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• Questionnaire-based studies - about last 40
  years, first in the University of Tartu.
• Closed in 1974, re-established in the restitution
  time under Estonian Agricultural University.
• 11 questioning studies during 1992 - 1997, a few
  studies after 1997.
• Drawback no (socially and territorially
  representative) basic study performed
• Very few publications in other languages than
  Estonian.

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• Performed studies are either regional or
  addressed to specific social groups.
• Main group of governmental interest - people
  most likely initiating development in rural
  areas enterpreneurs, farmers, employees of local
  authorities, intellectuals.
• Face-to-face interviews only a few per cent of
  respondents reject to answer.
• In last 5 years mainly postal questioning (less
  expensive) 25-50 answers.

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• Background information
• Remarkable changes towards restitution - since
  1989.
• Estonia became independent 1991.
• Rapid (and quite successful) re-orientation to
  modern business, liberal economic policy.
• Deep economic fall in agriculture shortly after
  achieving independence producing 2-3 times more
  than internal consumption in eighties, but less
  than internal consumption yet.
• Poverty and depopulation in rural areas,
  regionally disasterous.

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• Background information
• Agricultural and regional policy is not a
  governmental priority free competition ideology,
  no financial support.
• Gradually growing interest towards rural life
  during last years - due to EU accession.

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• Background information
• historical past and its impacts
• Estonian village is incompact, Nordic type.
• Since 19th century to 1950 individualistic
  farming prevailed.
• Estonians never in history had their own ruling
  class.
• Land property of German nobility was nationalised
  and divided between farmers in twenties and not
  restituted in general.

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• A typical study
• Socio-economical development in rural areas,
  November 1999
• 900 questionnaires sent by post, 450 answers
• 138 employees of local authorities
• 153 educational, cultural and medicine employees
• 68 enterpreneurs
• 68 farmers
• 30 others
• Average age 45 years, 41 women, 59 men.

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• A few interesting results - comparable with
  Trends of Social Changes in Rural Areas and in
  Agriculture
• V. Majerova et al., 1999
• Real net income per family member 2682 EEK
• Estimated income needed to live normally 4602
  EEK
• Estimated income to live well 9899 EEK
• 1 EUR 15.65 EEK (Estonian kroons)
• NB! Elite, not representative for whole
  community.
• Richest age group 30 - 39 years. Important
  elder people could not adapt to totally changed
  economic conditions.

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• Family structure
• Average family size 3.8 members
• 1.8 children per family, 0.8 of them adult
• Distribution of families by size
• Many Estonian rural families have more than 2
  generations, in-laws etc.

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• Business barriers
• In both countries was asked block of 20 questions
  on business barriers, not adequate one-to-one,
  but covered nearly same space of meanings.
• Main business barriers in Estonia lack of
  financial capital, feeling of uncertainty,
  technical equipment, no credit, lack of market,
  no wish to take risk, no partners.
• Main business barriers in Czech republic
  financial problems on state level, low purchasing
  power, small market, depopulation, small choice
  of job description.
• Conclusion financial and market problems are
  common, but Estonians feel more uncertain, Czech
  seems lacking proper workers.

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• Farms, farmers
• All private farms over 0.6 ha in Estonia are
  restituted or bought or somehow obtained during
  the collapse of collective farms after 1989.
• Comparison of farm sizes in two countries
• An average Estonian farmer has about 30 ha
  land, nearly a half agricultural and half forest.

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• Education
• According to UN education index, Estonia is among
  20 most educated nations in the world.
• About 10 of rural people have higher education.
  High school or specialised high school education
  is prevailing, lower education level than 8 years
  is miscellaneous (mainly very old or disabled
  people).
• According to study from 1999 (shifted selection,
  of course), about 95 of respondents wish higher
  education to their children.
• About 80 of people are ready to support
  financially the education of their children, if
  this improves its quality.
• Historical experience education and knowledge
  (not force, weapons or faith) helped us to make
  our life better.
• Drawback 1/2 of people state that financial
  situation is an obstacle to get educated as
  wished.

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• Population and migration
• Population growth in Estonia is strongly negative
• Migration balance is negative as well
• No substantial differences between urban and
  rural areas. Only in the families of private
  farmers there is more births than deaths.
• Main direction of migration from remote rural
  areas to small towns.
• Vastly dominating reason of moving better job or
  possibility to get job at all.

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• Religion and faith
• Low importance in social life (seems more
  important for government than for people).
• Traditionally dominating Lutherian church, but
  with strong orthodox minority. Roman catholic
  church is marginal. Several protestant sects,
  incl. a sect, which grew from Bohemian Brothers
  (long history in Estonia).
• According to a recent study, about 10 of people
  feels some spiritual identity with ancient
  Fenno-ugric (non-Christian) belief, even more
  among intellectuals.
• According to several studies, about 30-40 of
  people visit church during great fests, about 2
  (regionally up to 4) regularly.
• Public opinion is tolerant for multitude of
  beliefs, but not very much for missioning.

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• Specialties of our group
• Cultural-anthropological approach
• Most of questionnaires include cultural block
  (variable) in addition to traditional
  sociological questions.
• Some examples
• Psychological identity categories (I) certain,
  (II) stagnating, (III) uncertain, (IV)
  fragmentary - distribution was found rather
  stable in time, geographically and between social
  groups.
• Cultural identity regional, Estonian, European,
  Russian, American, world (cosmopolitic) culture.
• Opinions about rather philosophical themes
  death, connections between human being and nature
  etc. Strong influence of pre-Christian belief is
  found.

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• Specialties of our group
• Geoinformatical data processing
• Simplest approach raster maps interpolated going
  on from the habitation sites of respondents.
• Examples
• Estimated environmental indicators air quality,
  subsoil water quality, condition of rivers and
  lakes, soil fertility. Well correlated with
  objective parameters good experts.
• General condition of infrastructure functions, a
  condensed indicator, sum of entire block of
  questions better near Tallinn.

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• What we have
• A rich database from different times and about
  different social groups, partially not processed
  yet. Answers to a large variety of questions.
• What we are lacking
• Foreign relations, capable to carry out projects
  at international level.

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• Proposal for cooperation
• Comparative studies
• 1. Comparing the existing data of both partners,
  data processing with the aim to match the results
  together.
• 2. New studies with unified methodology.
• Perhaps to apply for a grant from any
  international authority?