Sense of community, participation, and life satisfaction among Hispanic immigrants in rural Nebraska

Abstract The influx of Hispanic immigrants into rural areas of the United States has created demographic, economic, and social change within communities. Sense of community, a psychological construct that includes membership, influence, fulfilment of needs, and a shared emotional connection between community members, is a vital element in assessing the integration of immigrants into a community. This study used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design to describe and examine sense of community, community participation, and life satisfaction among Hispanic immigrants from two communities in rural Nebraska (N = 180 survey participants; N = 53 focus groups participants). The results indicated that participants felt a sense of community. Sense of community was significantly positively correlated with community participation, r = 0.29, p