ABSTRACT
Rural areas in Spain are undergoing a long-term process of demographic decline, abandonment and growing disparities in access to goods and services in comparison to urban centres. These dynamics are increasingly captured under the concept of the rural–urban gap (Camarero & Oliva, 2019), which reflects both a structural centre–periphery divide and the lived experience of rural life, marked by a tension between authenticity and alienation.
This chapter explores whether, and to what extent, the rural gap forms part of how rural residents perceive their everyday environment. Drawing on responses to open-ended survey questions concerning the perceived benefits and problems of life in their municipality, the study employs a two-stage mixed-methods approach – firstly, qualitative coding of responses, and, secondly, quantitative analysis disaggregated by gender, age and settlement size.
The empirical material provides insight into rural consciousness in contemporary Spain. Findings reveal a persistent duality in the way rural life is perceived – between the valued experience of authenticity and the structural limitations in accessibility. The interpretative analysis offers insight into the potential sources of alienation in rural areas in Spain and shows how the rural gap is present in the ways residents describe their everyday experience.
