[Community Highlights] [Press Release]

Contact: Tim Penning, 616-454-1751

Four Michigan Communities Part of National Survey Released Today
Measuring People's Connections to Their Community

In Newaygo County, they have diverse friendships. Across the state in southeast Michigan, they're active in politics. Folks in Kalamazoo County like to socialize informally. And in Grand Rapids, people regularly give to charity and volunteer.

These are just a few of the positive measures of "social capital," the degree to which people are connected to their communities. The four Michigan communities-through their respective community foundations-were among 36 to be surveyed recently as part of the national Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey. The survey was conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch Corporation and included 70 questions measuring numerous dimensions of social capital, such as levels of informal socializing with neighbors and friends, levels of trust in community leaders, political involvement, membership in groups, and volunteering and contributing to local charities. Last fall more than 30,000 Americans were surveyed.

The survey was developed by Harvard University Government Professor Robert D. 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 and national level.

Michigan is a microcosm of the nation when it comes to social capital. The four Michigan community foundations participated in Harvard's national survey by providing funding and defining an area of their local communities as samples for the survey. Each measured various dimensions of social capital against their respective "community quotient" (CQ), a level of expected social capital based on a community's demographics.

• The Fremont Area Community Foundation supported survey included 750 people in rural Newaygo County. Given its demographics, residents of the county had greater diversity of friendships than was expected. The county also scored high on a measure of social capital equality, meaning that there is less class bias in participation in local organizations and activities than might be expected. However, Newaygo County residents surveyed generally did not recognize their political leaders.
  
• The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan supported survey included 500 people across a seven county region, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, St. Clair and Monroe counties. The survey showed southeast Michigan to be a friendly place, with a higher than expected degree of interpersonal socializing. Residents of the region also scored higher on a scale of activism in politics than was projected for an area with its characteristics. However, southeast Michigan residents fall slightly short of national averages in terms of trusting their neighbors and people of other races.
  
• The Kalamazoo Community Foundation supported survey included 500 residents of Kalamazoo County, including the city of Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo residents proved to be high in the amount of time they socialize informally, as well as in the diversity of their friendships. However, registering and voting in local elections and understanding political issues is an area for improvement.
  
• The Grand Rapids Community Foundation, which serves all of Kent County, focused on the city of Grand Rapids, where 500 residents were surveyed. The community showed to have a higher-than-expected level of charitable giving and volunteering, and participation in religious organizations was higher than the national average. However, the survey indicates that Grand Rapids residents do not have significant diversity in their friendships, including people of other races and economic classes, and they are not as politically active as would be expected.

Each of the four community foundations will work to promote social capital in their own communities by encouraging it where it is strong and seeking to build it where it is lacking. Community foundations were a natural partner for the survey project because they are social-capital builders, working with all groups in their communities to find and employ solutions to local issues. Community foundations believe that high levels of social capital are of critical importance to the health of communities.

The 36 community foundations sponsored the survey to provide a tool to better understand the dynamics of their respective communities' strengths and weaknesses. The survey provides a wealth of data that will inform the ongoing work of each foundation, as well as provide other community groups and academics a vast resource of data for additional analysis. The full survey results are available online from the Roper Center at www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/

The National Social Capital Benchmark Survey provides an initial snapshot of the nation's and the 36 communities' reserve of social capital. Another national social capital survey is tentatively planned for 2005, in order to measure whether there have been noticeable improvements in civic participation across the country.
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For specific survey results and commentary from any of the four Michigan community foundations, see their local releases online or call the appropriate local contact:
· Community Foundation for SE Michigan (www.cfsem.org)
Ruth Benedict, Communications Director, 313-961-6675
· Fremont Area Community Foundation (www.tfaf.org)
Libby Cherin, President, 616-924-5350
· Grand Rapids Community Foundation (www.grfoundation.org)
Tim Penning, Communications and Public Relations Director, 616-454-1751
· Kalamazoo Community Foundation (www.kalfound.org)
Gloria Royal, Communications Officer, 616-381-4416