A Guttman QUASI-Scale on Intention towards Rural Resettlement

A nine-item Guttman scale is presented on intention for individual rural resettlement (irr). Subjects were asked about their views towards three ordinal and cumulative categories of incentives for irr presented in combination with three ordinal categories of time periods for which the person would be willing to move from the city to rural areas to try farming. The English-language questionnaire was translated to Nyanja, a Zambian language spoken widely in the Lusaka area. The coefficient of reproducibility was calculated on data from a sample of 39 low income peri-urban subjects. This coefficient approached closely but did not meet the criterion value needed for a fully qualified Guttman scale. Nonetheless, the scale retains many advantages of Guttman scales. The scale may be used as a measure of behavioural intention for three classes of social research on rural development. First, for static descriptions or comparisons of irr-intention among population groups such as peri-urban unemployed "squatters." Second, for assessing irr-intention trends over time within population groups or communities, and third, as a dependent measure in "before-after" evaluations of persuasive governmental programmes promoting irr. With -minor adjustments among statements, the scale can be adapted for use in Third World countries facing urbanization problems.