From a demographic perspective, this study focuses on social responsibility as an indication of socio-cultural changes in the contemporary world, which has also been recognized in the second demographic transition theory as the most significant determinant of the changes in family and fertility. The research data is based on a survey conducted in urban-rural areas of Gorgan and has been analyzed by SPSS24 and AMOS25. The results obtained for Cronbach’s alpha, Kaiser-Meyer-Oklin, and Bartlett's test of sphericity are 0.954, 0.787, and 10702.896 respectively. According to the results, about one-third of the respondeants hold a high or very high level of social responsibility, and the remaining two-thirds hold a low level and middle level of social responsibility. The fFemale population has a higher level of social responsibility than the male population. Also, age and responsibility are correlated: the older the age, the higher the level of social responsibislity. The multivariate results confirmed that the higher levels of education and income lead to a higher level of social responbislity. In sum, the sustainable success of the higher childbearing-oriented policies rests upon the government’s comprehensive programs in order to meet responsibly a wide range of the needs in society that will also improve the individuals’ responsible behaviours and committed cooperation.
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
This research paper takes a demographic approach in order to examine the patterns and determinants associated with social responsibility. According to the second demographic transition theory, the social and cultural changes in the contemporary societies throughout the world have been identified as the underlying determinants of the changes in family and fertility. It is also worthwhile noting that social responsibility serves as an important indication of socio-cultural changes. More specifically, such emerging forms of family and childbearing patterns in the modern societies as marriage and fertility decline, cohabitation, childlessness, one-child parenthood, etc. are closely associated with social and cultural changes including social responsibility. Accordingly, this research paper attempts to provide research-based evidence to examine the patterns and determinants of social responsibility from a demographic perspective.
Method and Data
The research findings presented and discussed in this paper are based on a survey conducted in urban-rural areas of Gorgan in the north of Iran that deals with a total number of 22250 individuals as its statistical pool. In accordance with the Cochran formula, a sample of 400 males and females has been determined and included in the survey. The research sample belongs to 1340s, 1360s, and 1380s birth cohorts who and hasve been selected on the basis of the stratified sampling method. The research data have been collected on the basis of the researcher-made questionnaireair in accordance with the review of theoretical and empirical literature. Upon data collection, the research employed both SPSS-24 and AMOS-25 and has analyzed the research data on the basis of both the method of exploratory factor analysis in SPSS-24 and confirmatory factor analysis in AMOS-25.
Findings
The present research has been built upon a main dependent variable, i.e., social responsibility which has been divided into five subgroups including legal responsibility, political responsibility, economic responsibility, societal responsibility, and environmental responsibility. The research questionnaire included a wide range of statements and questions in order to measure each of these five subgroups of responsibility. Using the Likert Scale, the respondents’ answers to each of these questions could be ranged from ‘totally agree’, to ‘totally disagree’. The research findings on levels of social responsibility have been made on four major levels: Low Level of social responsibility (ranging with scores from 25 to 50), Middle Level of social responsibility (ranging with scores from 51 to 75), High Level of social responsibility (ranging with score from 76 to 100), Very High Level of social responsibility (ranging with score from 101 to 125).
The research findings have indicated these two general patterns: first, approximately one-third of the respondeants hold a high level or very high level of social responsibility. Second, the remaining two-thirds hold a low level and middle level of social responsibility. Further analysis in order to explore the effects of the key demographic determinants on these general patterns has shown that social responsibility is substantially associated with demographic determinants. This suggests that social responsibility is significantly affected by gender so that the female population is more likely to hold a higher level of social responsibility as compared with the male population. Furthermore, age composition plays a substantially important role in the level of social responsibility: the older the age, the higher the level of social responsibislity. In other words, younger age cohorts are more likely to hold a lower level of social responsibility. Finally, the multivariate results of this analysis not only have confirmed these major patterns discussed above, but also have supported the fact that social responsibility is significantly associated with two other key determinants including the levels of education and income. This suggests that those with higher levels of education and income are also more likely to hold a higher level of social responsibislity.
Conclusion and Discussion
In conclusion, this research paper has shed further lights on the patterns and determinants associated with social responsibility from a demographic perspective. It has been both theoretically discussed and empirically investigated that the socio-cultural changes including social responsibility play a substantial role in emerging forms of family and demographic changes in the contemporary societies throughout the world such as significant changes in marriatal ties and childbearing patterns, marriage and fertility decline, cohabitation, childlessness, one-child parenthood, etc., as recognized in the second demographic transition. In sum, the main issues discussed and the research findings presented in this paper have also supported this underlying association between family and demographic issues on the one hand, and socio-cultural changes on the other hand with specific emphasis on demographic dimensions and determinants of social responsibility.
Finally, the policy-related recommendations arising from the present research paper rely on echoing the underlying fact that the sustainable success of the higher childbearing-oriented policies rests upon the government’s comprehensive programs in order to meet responsibly a wide range of the needs in society that will also improve the individuals’ responsible behaviours and committed cooperation. This particularly applies to countries with a larger proportion of younger age cohorts including Iran with a median age of 34 years old approximately. It clearly reflects a huge young generation who are also more likely to be attached and driven by the modern communication technologies and social media worldwide, which will lead to a more challenging situation for social responsibility from a demographic perspective.