Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This was the first social study of the influx of middle class managerial and professional commuters to Hertfordshire villages; and the impact that this selective migration of newcomers had on formerly rural communities. One of the three villages studied still maintained the character of a predominantly rural, agriculturally centred parish, whilst the two other villages were situated on the 'rural-urban fringe frontier'. This study focused on: questions of segregation; the relationship between class and commuting; the social and geographic origins of the population studied; and the pattern of economic and social links with 'the outside world'. This collection is not currently digitised and is available as a hard copy only. If you are interested in a project which involves the digitisation of this collection, please contact our Collections team at collections@ukdataservice.ac.uk. We'd be delighted to work with you in enhancing this collection. Main Topics: Social change; social mobility; geographical mobility; family; family life; class; middle class; community life; community participation; occupations; occupational status; politics; rural life; communications; transport; rural transport; commuting; social life.

This cross-sectional (one-time study) used face-to-face interviews. Data collected included questionnaires and interviewer notes. The sampling method was a one-stage stratgified or systematic random sample, and recruited 331 adults residing in three Hertfordshire villages. No weighting was used.