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National
Survey Shows Grand Rapids Rich in 'Social Capital' [Community Highlights] [Press Release] [Survey Highlights]
GRAND RAPIDS-Grand Rapids residents are well above the national norm for charitable giving and volunteering in the community, but may need some encouragement to seek a more diverse group of friends and to participate in politics. These are just a few of the findings from the National Social Capital Benchmark Survey, a measure of Americans' formal and informal connections to their communities. The Grand Rapids Community Foundation was one of 36 community foundations nationally to participate in the survey, which included a questionnaire of 70 questions measuring numerous dimensions of social capital, such as levels of informal socializing with neighbors and friends, levels of trust in community leaders, and volunteering and contributing to local charities. Last fall more than 30,000 Americans were surveyed nationally, including 500 residents of the city of Grand Rapids. The survey was developed by Harvard University Government Professor Robert Putnam, whose book "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community" has made the concept of social capital a topic of national media coverage. Other research in the past five years has shown that social capital is a vital community resource. The National Social Capital Benchmark survey was the first to focus exclusively on that concept, and to do so at the local level. "We know from
other research that communities with higher levels of social capital are
likely to have higher educational achievement, better performing governmental
institutions, faster economic growth, and less crime and violence,"
explains Wendy Jackson, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation program director who worked with the Harvard team to conduct the survey locally. "People living in these communities are likely to be happier, healthier, and to have a longer life expectancy." Each community participating
in the survey was measured by a "community quotient," or the
expected level of social capital based on the community's demographics.
By this measure, Grand Rapids has a higher degree of social capital overall
than would be expected. While the survey results include a wealth of data
about Grand Rapids, a few of the more interesting highlights show that:
Meanwhile, the survey
indicates that there is room for improvement in Grand Rapids in several
dimensions of social capital, including: Grand Rapids Community Foundation staff members plan to use the survey results to guide their involvement in the community. The Foundation includes social capital as one of the principles of its community leadership model, which helps determine what projects it will fund and what roles it will play in the community. The results of the survey will help specify the Foundation's role even more in the future. "We hope to build on those areas of strength and work on the dimensions of social capital that could be stronger," says Marcia Rapp, vice president of programs. "Community foundations were a natural to participate in this survey because they are social capital builders by definition. In fact, the survey was designed in response to community foundations' desire to measure their overall success in building social capital." In the months ahead,
the Foundation will work to share more details of the survey data and
educate various community groups, organizations, and businesses about
the ways they can help raise the level of social capital in Grand Rapids.
Another national social capital survey is tentatively planned for five
years from now, in order to measure whether there have been noticeable
improvements in civic participation across the country. -30-
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