NCoC: Social Capital

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Social Capital

The most powerful force in American democracy is the connection among citizens. NCoC aims to understand how socio-economic and demographic factors, time spent with family, friends, and neighbors, and elements of trust and connectedness affect the process of civic engagement.

NCoC believes to address community issues and challenges in any area, research must be collected, discussion must occur, and solutions must be proposed. Here, you can see research, discussion, and solutions associated with social capital. This is meant to help explain and animate that focus area, as well as facilitate the process of moving from information to action within it.

Social Capital Issues:Research | Discussions | Solutions

Social Capital Research

Title	Date	Type
Trust In One Another is DownSigns of Civic DeclineTrust is measured in three ways – with questions as to whether people are viewed as “honest,” as “helpful” and “can be trusted.” Over the last 30 years, social ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
“Lonely Nation”: People Are Considerably Less Connected To Family And FriendsSigns of Civic DeclineMore than one-fourth of American households (29.8 million of them) consist of just one person, compared with less than one-fifth of American households (13.9 million) in 1975.	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
People’s Trust Of & Connection To Major Institutions Are Down, With A Steady Rise From 1994 - 2000Signs of Civic DeclineAmericans’ confidence in major institutions dropped from 1970 to 1993, followed by a partial recovery through 2000 and then another slide. However, people’s trust in the government has rebounded ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.2: Trusting Other PeopleThe IndicatorsTrust is measured with three indicators. These are survey questions about the honesty, trustworthiness, and helpfulness, generically, of other people. They all show declines, especially the measures of ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.3: Connecting to Others Through Family and FriendsThe IndicatorsThe decline in Americans’ connections with others is driven by a substantial decrease in the proportion of Americans who say they regularly eat dinner with their families. Visiting friends is more ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.5: Staying InformedThe IndicatorsOne way to measure being informed on public affairs is simply to ask respondents whether they follow the news or public affairs. We also combine two indicators to obtain a reliable estimate of newspaper ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.8: Trusting and Feeling Connected to Major InstitutionsThe IndicatorsMost people feel that their own vote matters and think that their own Congressional representative is effective. However, the population is more distrustful when asked various questions about the reliability ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.10: Analysis By AgeAs noted in the main body of the report, youth civic engagement has improved in some respects, although young people remain less engaged than their elders.	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Appendix I.12: Analysis by Race and EthnicityIf we calculate the overall Civic Health Index separately for Whites, African Americans, and Latinos, we find that Whites have the highest score and Latinos have the lowest. (Unfortunately, data are not ...	Sep 18th, 2006	civic health index
Let’s Get ConnectedBy John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic EnterprisesAmerica could really use a civics lesson. And it's about to get one. The National Conference on Citizenship, a federally chartered nonprofit founded in 1946 to strengthen civic ties, will release the first ...	September 10, 2006	news

Social Capital Discussions and Commentary

Title	Date	Type
Mobilize.org announces merger and acquistionby Ian Storrar, COOMobilize.org has recently announced its merger and acquisition with Generation Engage to enhance the mission of investment in Millennial-driven solutions to our society’s pressing social problems. ...	January 22, 2010	discussion
Social media aids in Haiti earthquake relief and responseFrom Twitter organizing to Google maps to text-to-give donations, the widespread use and application of social technology is altering and facilitating the modes through which Haitian earthquake relief ...	January 15, 2010	discussion
From Every End of this EarthA Recommended ReadingImmigrants have always been important contributors to all aspects of American life, and America has always been a beacon for those seeking freedom, opportunity and hope. But have things changed, particularly ...	October 2, 2009	discussion
Social Innovation in Civic LifeA 2009 NCoC PanelThis panel at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored the role of social innovation in civic life.	September 25, 2009	video
Civic Health in Hard TimesA 2009 NCoC PanelThis panel at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored the impact of the economic crisis on the civic health of the states, using the 2009 America’s Civic Health Index findings.	September 25, 2009	video
Make Your Voice Heard: Future Preparedness IndexYoung People First aims to foster a stronger constituency of young people to advocate for long-term priorities in the United States. Their principal tool is the Future Preparedness Index (FPI), which is ...	August 5, 2009	discussion
New CIRCLE Report on State Election Law Reform and Youth Voter TurnoutThe Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Education (CIRCLE) has released a report on how different state election laws affect turnout among 18-29-year-old voters. For states committed ...	July 17, 2009	discussion
Social Media and A New Model of Civic Engagement by Nick TroianoWhile there remains a vibrant debate over whether social media is creating new activists or just enhancing the tools used by existing ones, it is clear there has been a fundamental change in the way citizens ...	July 7, 2009	discussion
Funding and Fostering Local DemocracyWhat Philanthropy Should Know about the Emerging Field of Deliberation and Democratic GovernanceAs the philanthropic community grapples with the question of how to support innovative and effective forms of democratic governance, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) has released a guide ...	May 19, 2009	publication
Stepping Up or Holding Back?How are neighbors strengthening communities in the economic crisis?The 2009 Civic Health Index, set to be released at the NCoC Annual Conference September 9, will examine the relationship between financial health and civic health, including ways civic engagement has increased ...	May 8, 2009	discussion

Social Capital Solutions

Title	Date	Type
Changing the Status QuoIntentional Succession Planning Through Leadership DevelopmentMany think of succession planning as a one-time process that only occurs when an organization considers how it will continue to thrive after a senior leader moves on. The 2010 American Express NGen Fellows ...	November 3, 2011	publication
Closing the College Completion GapA Guide for Faith CommunitiesA degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty. However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income ...	November 1, 2010	discussion
Providing Authentic Opportunities for Youth Engagement in Local Governmentby Leon AndrewsWhat makes youth civic engagement “authentic?” How can cities move beyond token levels of youth participation in local decision-making toward efforts that truly prepare and empower youth to ...	September 1, 2010	discussion
Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities“Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities,” a new guide developed by the National League of Cities, presents local officials with the first steps and directions for efforts toward ...	August 18, 2010	discussion
Creating Spaces for ChangeWorking Toward a “Story of Now” in Civic EngagementCreating Spaces for Change: Working Toward a ”Story of Now” in Civic Engagement , a new report from the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is an attempt to describe ...	April 23, 2010	publication
Funding and Fostering Local DemocracyWhat Philanthropy Should Know about the Emerging Field of Deliberation and Democratic GovernanceAs the philanthropic community grapples with the question of how to support innovative and effective forms of democratic governance, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) has released a guide ...	May 19, 2009	publication