Overview of the ONS Social
Capital work so far
Dr Veronique Siegler and Rachel O’Brien
“Social capital is the glue that holds societies together and
without which there can be no economic growth or human
well-being” (World Bank, 1998).
Overview of presentation
• Social Capital – brief history
• Operationalising Social Capital: OECD and ONS work
• ONS Social Capital Framework
• Examples of measures
• Why Social Capital is important
• ONS Analysis of Social Capital
• Ongoing ONS work on Social Capital
• Other areas of work currently explored by the ONS
Social Capital – brief history
High level of interest of social capital throughout 20th Century....but little
agreement about the best way to define it or measure it
Bourdieu: social capital is an
individual’s access to personal
networks
Coleman: opened up social capital to
a much wider range of applications,
especially for family/education policy +
role of community relationships
World Bank: social
capital definition
includes institutions
alongside networks
and norms
Putnam: social capital defined as
networks of social engagement ,
trust and norms of reciprocity
Operationalising Social Capital: OECD and
ONS work (1)
2001: OECD “networks together with shared norms, values and
understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups”
ONS (2001-2003)
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
UK Social capital Measurement Framework – 5 dimensions:
Social networks and social support
Social participation
Civic participation
Reciprocity and trust
Views about local area
•
•
•
Social Capital Question Bank
Development of a harmonised set of social capital questions
Young people and social capital
Operationalising Social Capital: OECD and ONS work (2)
 OECD (2013) “ Four interpretations of Social Capital: An Agenda for
Measurement “
• ONS (July 2014) : Proposed framework and set of headline measures
Framework based on OECD report and earlier work by ONS
Selected headline measures for user feedback
• ONS (July to November 2014) : User consultation
 Framework and measures useful for policy makers
Positive feedback on framework, some suggestions to include additional
measures
Outcome: 25 measures across 4 aspects (November 2014)
Subjective/objective
Mostly at UK level
Based on existing data sources (including Understanding Society, European
of Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), European Social Survey (ESS))
Social Capital Framework – ONS, July 2014
FOUR DIFFERENT
ASPECTS OF SOCIAL
CAPITAL
DEFINITION
Personal Relationships
Structure and nature of people’s personal
relationships
Social Network Support
The level of resources or support that a
person can draw from their personal
relationships
Civic Engagement
The actions and behaviours that can be seen
as contributing positively to the collective life
of a community or society
Trust and Cooperative
Norms
This refers to the trust and values such as
solidarity, equity etc...that shape the way
people behave towards each other and as
members of society
Social Capital Framework – Examples of measures
Aspects of
Social
Capital
Examples of headline measures
Personal
• Those who meet socially with friends, relatives or work colleagues
Relationships at least once a week
•Those who regularly stop and talk with people in neighbourhood
Social
Network
Support
• Those who give special help to at least one sick, disabled or elderly
person living or not living with them
• Those who feel they have a spouse, family member or friend to rely
on if they have a serious problem
Civic
Engagement
• Those who have been volunteering in the last 12 months
• Those who are members of organisations, whether political,
voluntary, professional or recreational
Trust and
Cooperative
Norms
• Those who definitely agree or tend to agree that their local area is a
place where people from different backgrounds get on well together
• Those who would say that most people can be trusted
Why Social Capital is important
• Social Capital is important for the well-being of individuals;
communities; the nation.
• Social Capital is important for the economy.
• As part of their inquiry on well-being, the UK Parliament
Environmental Audit Committee recognised that Social
Capital is one the 3 pillars of sustainable development
to be considered alongside natural capital and human
capital, but that there is a need for better evidence and
further in-depth research to better understand social
capital.
ONS Analysis of Social Capital (1)
• January 2015 : First baseline analysis of Social Capital in the UK
Examples of results:
• Around 1 in 10 people (11%) in the UK reported feeling lonely all, most, or
more than half of the time (Source: European Quality of Life Survey, 2011/12).
• A third of parents (32%) in the UK exchanged help (giving and receiving) with
at least one of their grown-up children. Parents were more likely to give help than
receive it (63% v 42%) (Source: Understanding Society, 2011/12).
• Nearly three-quarters (71%) of people in the UK felt people in their
neighbourhood are willing to help each other (Source: Understanding Society,
2011/12).
• Just over a third (35%) of people in the UK reported that they would say that
most people can be trusted (Understanding Society, 2009/10).
ONS Analysis of Social Capital (2)
• July 2015: Inequalities in Social Capital by Age and Sex
Examples of results :
• Young people were the least likely to regularly stop and talk to their
neighbours: less than half (45%) of those aged 18 to 24 regularly stopped and
talked to their neighbours, compared to around 8 in 10 (83%) people aged 65 to
74 ( Source: Understanding Society, 2011/2012).
• People aged 75 and over were the least likely to have at least one close
friend; 11% of them reported having no close friend at all, compared to 2% of
those aged 18 to 24 (Source; Understanding Society, 2011/2012).
•Around 1 in 4 women (24%) and in 1 in 5 men (19%) aged 75 and over
reported caring for someone sick, disabled or elderly within their household
(Source: Understanding Society, 2012/2013).
Ongoing ONS work on Social Capital
•
ONS/CO Social Capital steering group; set up in July 2015
•
ONS Contribution to the OECD Guidelines on the Measurement of Trust
•
Analysis of Social Capital by Region and Urban/Rural areas : to be
published early 2016
•
Ongoing dialogue with policy makers on use of the data
 Social Capital relevant across a range of possible social and welfare
policies.
 Policy makers can consider how their policies affect the four
dimensions of social capital, with a view to minimise negative
impact and, if possible, delivering policies in a way that will enhance
the dimensions of social capital
Other areas currently explored by the ONS
• Whether there are any gaps in measurement or other sources
the ONS should explore and any suggestions for addressing
them .
• What are the main gaps in social capital analysis and
priorities for analysis. It would be easier to make
inferences, look at directions of causality, if all measures
were from one source.
• Whether an index of social capital (fewer numbers/single
number) would be desirable.
Thank you for your attention!
For more information, please contact:
Veronique Siegler at: Veronique.Siegler@ons.gsi.gov.uk
or Rachel O’Brien at: Rachel.O’Brien@ons.gsi.gov.uk
All publications are available on: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guidemethod/user-guidance/social-capital-guide/index.html