no75-82

[76] Socio-demographic and residential characteristics and their relationships with the intimacy of personal relationships in regional cities

- A case study of residents in Okayama, Japan

○Yuki Ohata¹, Takehito Ujihara² (1. Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, 2. Okayama University)

Keywords:personal relationships, family, friends, local communities, lifestyles, regional cities

This study analyses the relationship between personal relationships and residential characteristics in regional cities, using the city of Okayama as a case study. The intimacy of relationships was found to differ not only by gender and age, but also by life stages. In addition, the degree of intimacy varied based on the characteristics of the places of residence. For instance, the closer people live to the city centre, the deeper their relationships are with colleagues and schoolmates. On the other hand, the relationships with family and neighbours were deeper among people who live further from the city centre. Furthermore, this study revealed that a change in regional characteristics brought about by relocating does not instantaneously alter the degree of intimacy with family members, but rather due to a change in the family structure.