There is also a divide in the lifestyle between urbanites and those living in more rural areas. City life is more active as people have more accessibility to numerous amenities, public transportation is common, schools are closer, and the entertainment options are numerous. Likewise, some beach resort towns, although small, offer many of these same amenities due to tourists, which also provides jobs.
Religion also plays a role in the way of life for many people. Many people attend church every Sunday and for many schools, holy week is off of school to celebrate Easter. For those who regularly attend church on Sundays, it is often followed up with socialization with neighbors and other church goers and the day may be spent at home with family.
Identity
The people of the Dominican Republic generally identify as being Dominican (with the stress being on the first "i," not to be confused with the term of the same name by which the people of Dominica identify), but how this is defined is rather confusing. The people have been trained to believe (under European rule) that skin color dictates social standing and today there is a belief that the lighter color a person's skin, the better social standing that person holds. This has created an identity that refuses to accept the people's African past and shuns those with darker skin. These people with darker skin, who are the majority, call themselves "Indio," and claim their skin color is due to their American Indian heritage, which is only true in rare cases and, when true, is generally a very small percentage of their ethnic make-up. Due to this mentality, "Dominican" is defined by speaking Spanish as well as other European traits, such as being a member of the Catholic Church. By this definition, nearly every citizen of the Dominican Republic is included in the identity, but the people are significantly divided on social terms based on skin color.