Social Capital

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Social Capital

• Connecting Citizens to Strengthen Communities

Presenters Doreen Hauser-Lindstrom, Washington
State University Extension Service Lynette Flage,
North Dakota State University Extension
Service Presented 2006 CYFAR Conference
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Social Capital Theory

• The core idea of social capital theory is that
  social networks have value
• Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone
• Social Capital refers to
• connections among individuals.
• interaction that enables people to build
  communities, to commit themselves to each other,
  and to knit the social fabric.

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Research Involving Social Capital

• Roper Center Social Capital Benchmark Survey,
  2000
• 41 communities were surveyed
• 26,230 individuals surveyed
• Attempt at widespread systematic measurement of
  social capital within communities
• Will serve as point of comparison for future
  research which attempts to assess changes in key
  indicators

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Research Involving Social Capital

• Oregon Survey Research Laboratories, 2003
• Survey commissioned by the Northwest Area
  Foundation for rural communities in eight-state
  region
• Examined the relationship between social capital
  and poverty
• Considered the interpersonal networks, sense of
  community belonging, personal effectiveness, and
  community effectiveness
• 3,358 telephone interviews completed with 100
  mail-back surveys from communities with low
  telephone coverage

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Research Involving Social Capital

• Numerous Studies on this topic measuring
• Social capital crime
• Social capital health
• Social capital education
• Social capital economic activity
• Social capital the environment

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Six Categories of Social Capital

• Civic Engagement
• Trust
• Civic Responsibility
• Power of Community Members
• Networks Connections
• Collective Community Vitality

From materials prepared for the Northwest Area
Foundation, 2004 by Lynette Flage and Doreen
Hauser-Lindstrom
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Civic EngagementHow civically engaged are people
in your community?

• Have you donated your time to volunteer work in
  your community in the last 12 months?
• Have you attended a community parade or
  celebration in the past 12 months?
• Have you contacted a local tribal/public official
  in the last 12 months?

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TrustDo people trust or feel safe in your
community?

• How often do you feel safe walking down the
  street at night in your community?
• Overall, can you trust your local government to
  do what is right?

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Civic ResponsibilityDo citizens feel a sense of
civic duty?

• You lost your wallet with 200 in it. How many
  people in your community would return it?
• A terrible storm hit your community and left
  people homeless. How many people would help out
  in any way?

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Power of Community MembersAre you making a
difference?

• Have you helped plan or lead a meeting or
  activity?
• Do you or your friends think you can impact where
  you live and make it a better place?
• Have you served on a committee or as an officer
  in any club in the past 12 months?

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Networks Connections

• Have you been involved in any recreational,
  sports, garden, investment or hobby group in the
  last 12 months?
• Have you been involved in a youth or parents
  organization in the past 12 months?

• Bonding with people who are similar, and
• Bridging with people who are different from
  themselves.

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Collective Community Vitality

• How often do young people move away from your
  community to find better opportunities?
• Are people of different races and ethnicities
  welcomed and involved together in the same
  groups, organizations, and activities?

• Each individual is important to the communitys
  vitality!

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Next Steps

• How do you see yourself using these tools?
• Are there other social capital materials are you
  aware of or have used?
• What programs/activities have you done in your
  work or community that has been successful in
  building social capital?

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For more information contact

• Doreen Hauser-Lindstrom
• Community Leadership Specialist, Center to Bridge
  the Digital Divide
• Washington 4-H Technology Community Networks
• Washington State University Extension Service
• doreen_at_wsu.edu
• 509-358-7686

• Lynette Flage
• Community Leadership Specialist, Center for
  Community Vitality
• North Dakota State University Extension Service
• Lynette.Flage_at_ndsu.edu
• 701-265-5200

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Presentation References

• Clues to Rural Community Survival
• Horizons Program Social Capital Survey
• 143 Ways to Increase Social Capital
• Putnam, Robert, D., Feldstein, Lewis, M., Better
  together Restoring the American community.
• Putnam, Robert, D., Bowling alone The collapse
  and revival of American community.
• Social Capital Benchmark Survey. The Roper
  Center for Public Opinion Research, USA.
• The Saguaro Seminar Civic Engagement in
  America.
• (See page 12 of your handout for additional
  information)