Iranian Association of Geography and Rural Planning journal of sustainable rural development 25383876 9 2 2025 12 01 Assessing the Social Responsibility of Mines in Rural Areas, A Case Study of Karani District, Bijar County, Western Iran 239024 10.22034/jsrd.2026.536658.1225 EN Abbas Nabati Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. Behroz Yeganeh Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. Mehdi Cheraghi Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. Journal Article 2025 07 23 Purpose: This study aims to assess the status and practices of social responsibility (SR) among mines operating in the rural areas of Karani District, Bijar County, while also identifying the key factors influencing its implementation. The research employes a descriptive-analytical methodology. Methods: The statistical population comprised 712 households from 10 villages with active mines in the Karani District. Using Cochran's formula at a 95% confidence level, a sample of 250 households was selected. Data were gathered through documentary research, structured questionnaires, interviews, and field observations. The questionnaires, based on a 5-point Likert scale, were validated for content by a panel of experts, and their reliability was confirmed with a strong Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.86. Results: Data analysis employed both descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test, Spearman's correlation, and regression). The findings indicate that within the economic dimension, variables such as 'contribution to the regional economy' (mean=4.96) and 'job creation' (mean=4.94) received the highest scores. Conversely, in the environmental dimension, 'waste management' (mean=1.13) and 'road rehabilitation' (mean=1.02) scored the lowest. In the social dimension, 'increasing employee satisfaction and motivation' (mean=4.22) was rated highest, while 'transparency and accountability' (mean=1.05) was the lowest. T-test results demonstrated that the economic dimension performed above the standard mean, whereas the social and environmental dimensions fell significantly below it. Furthermore, variables such as mine ownership (r=0.443), mine age (r=0.456), household income (r=0.618), and distance from the village (r=-0.489) were identified as having a significant influence on the level of social responsibility. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Conclusion<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">: The study concludes that state-owned and older mines demonstrated a better performance in terms of social responsibility. In contrast, a greater distance from residential villages was correlated with a notable reduction in SR activities.