What is Social Capital?

Social capital, sometimes called "community connectedness," refers to social networks and the trust and reciprocity that arise from these networks. Studies show that communities with high levels of social capital are likely to have higher educational achievement, better performing government, faster economic growth, and less crime and violence. And people living in these communities are likely to be happier, healthier, and to have a longer life expectancy.

Social Capital is really the infrastructure that a community has which it can use to face the challenges and opportunities presented to it. The levels of connectedness are also directly related to the quality of life in a community.

There are many ways to measure social capital. Some of the key elements include:

• Social Trust, such as how much people trust their neighbors or the police.
• Inter-racial Trust, such as how much do people trust others of a different race.
• Informal Socializing, such as how many friends do people have and how often do they see them.
• Diversity of Friendships, such as how many different kinds of occupations do your friends have.
• Associational Involvement, such as how many organizations an individual is involved in, as well as how often individuals attend meetings.
• Electoral Politics, which includes whether or not someone votes, as well as their interest and knowledge of politics.
• Active Politics, such as signing a petition or speaking at a public meeting.
• Faith-Based Engagement measures how involved individuals are in faith-based organizations.
• Giving and Volunteering, such as if individuals make charitable donations, or if they volunteer their time.
Duluth-Superior and Social Capital

Duluth and Superior are known for their high levels of some kinds of social capital. For example, residents in this region vote at greater numbers than other places and are involved in politics and sports in great numbers. People in Duluth and Superior visit with their neighbors in very high numbers.

But there are challenges. When we hang out, we hang out with people like ourselves. The area lacks “bridging social capital,” in which people with different interests and backgrounds work together.

The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation and Social Capital

The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation’s work to build social capital grew out of Dr. Robert D. Putnam’s keynote address to the Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting in May, 2001. Dr. Putnam, professor at Harvard University, is the author of best-selling book Bowling Alone, and is a nationally recognized expert on social capital. Putnam’s address focused on the decline of “social capital” and the need to rebuild community strengths and resources. The Community Foundation has offered several ways for the people of this region to explore the concept and understand its practical benefits to the community. Some examples include, the Speak Your Peace: The Civility Project; a social capital emphasis at the Community Foundation’s annual awards ceremony; integration of social capital as a high priority into grantmaking guidelines; and, participation in nationwide efforts to research and address the issue of declining social capital.

The 2006 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey

The 2006 Social Capital Community Survey surveyed 7,250 respondents to measure the degree of connectedness, interaction, and trust among people in Duluth and Superior, and in 21 other communities nationally. The 2006 survey builds on the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, developed by Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The scope of the study allows comparisons with a general national sample.

An international polling firm (TNS Intersearch) conducted a random telephone survey of 500 households in Duluth and Superior. The survey averaged about 25 minutes. The survey, in essence, provides data on how residents view this community as a place to live.

Drew Digby of the University of Minnesota Duluth is the lead academic partner for the Community Foundation. In addition, the Community Foundation convened a Task Force of community advisors which reviewed the Duluth/Superior data prior to its public release.

Task Force Members:
Drew Digby, Faith Hensrud, Casey LaCore, Chandra Mahrotra, Toby Marcovich, Christopher Markwood, Maureen O’Brien, Debra Smith and Donald Wallgren (Chair).

Interns:
Jill Rogers and Cheryl Skafte.

In addition, more than 15 academics, from the University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Wisconsin-Superior, and the College of St. Scholastica, are still in the process of reviewing the data in a variety of detailed ways.

Technical Details

• The basic margin of error (with a 95% confidence level) for the survey is +/-4.4 percent when the entire sample is used.

• All of the data used in the report used a weighting system that matched the data from the survey to data from the 2000 Census. Using the data from the 2000 Census may underestimate groups that were undercounted in that census.

For more information, contact, Initiatives or 218-726-0232.