For the purposes of this report, social connectedness is a composite measure defined by four items: eating dinner with other members of your household a few times a week or more, communicating with friends or family online a few times a week or more, talking with neighbors a few times a week or more, and doing favors for neighbors a few times a week or more.

The Saguaro Seminar at the Harvard Kennedy School, under the direction of Professor Robert Putnam, has done extensive research on social connectedness, also referred to as “social capital.” Of the benefits of these connections and social ties, they write, “These connections may increase individual well-being and opportunity by linking people more strongly to their local community and to larger societal resources. Or they may build community by strengthening bonds that link community members or by bridging divisions between them. The new ties may be formal, like a club, association, or civic institution, or informal, like a group of friends talking or colleagues collaborating.”(8) In essence, social connectedness, or social capital, provides a critical foundation from which further participation and engagement can build. As such, it’s an important element of civic health to further understand and promote.

The state of Massachusetts has some reason for optimism when examining the social connectedness of its residents. When examining social connectedness nationally, people tend to become more isolated with advanced age, but the isolation rate of older individuals in Massachusetts was slightly lower than the national average. The state’s Latinos were also at low risk of social disconnection, with just 4.6% scoring zero on the social scale. However, there are still significant gaps along lines of educational attainment. For example, 23% of the state’s high school drop-outs reported no connections at all. This connection between lower educational attainment and higher risk of social isolation is troubling.

Favors for Neighbors
When we examine this composite measure of social connectedness on a closer level, we see some areas for improvement. For example, Massachusetts is below the national rate of Americans who self-report that they frequently, meaning a few times a week or more, exchange favors with their neighbors. The national rate in 2010 was 15.2% while the Massachusetts rate was 12.8%. This disparity results in the state ranking 46th nationally with levels down from 2008-2009 estimates, both nationally and in-state. However, while the national rate is only down by one percentage point since 2008-2009, the Massachusetts rate is down by as much as 4.5 percentage points. This significant decrease is worth noting and examining further. Exchanging favors with neighbors is an important element of social capital, and the more that individuals are engaged in social networks on neighborhood and community levels, the more they are typically engaged in other forms.

Eating Dinner with Family
On a promising note, this decreased engagement with neighbors does not extend into the home, as 88.7% of Massachusetts residents report that they eat dinner with their family a few times a week or more. Eating dinner with family is a great way to foster discussions of current events and politics. Compared with the national rate of 88.1% in 2010, Massachusetts is ranked 27th in this category. However, the states ranked above Massachusetts differ by merely percentage points, or in some cases, tenths of a percentage point. While the percentage of Massachusetts residents that eat dinner with family frequently is high, rates have actually shown a marginal decrease since 2009 reports which place the national rate at 89.1% and the Massachusetts rate at 90.7%.