Social
Capital/Participation/Cohesion
Community Indicators
Social capital, participation, cohesion
Tremendous growth in interest since 1990s
Inter-related but each have own meanings
Multi-dimensional
ƒ many components and measures
ƒ both objective and subjective measures
ƒ many types of networks (or communities) of interest
No widely accepted headline or summary indicators
Data development activities are relatively recent
Concerns that measurement activities have rushed ahead of theory
because the conceptual basis remains too weak for measures to be
useful.
Nonetheless a feeling that SC is important contributor to shaping
wellbeing outcomes
Social capital, participation, cohesion
ABS SC framework has defined key elements and provided a list of
possible indicators
Still grappling with some of the concepts and uses to be made of the
data
ƒ search for salient indicators to measure progress
ƒ identify advantaged/disadvantaged groups/areas
ƒ evidence base to support and evaluate social capital related
initiatives
Wide interest in small area data (regions/neighbourhoods) but what
specifically and how will data be used?
Need to deepen understanding (PC 2003, BTRE 2005)
Need in depth analysis of emerging data sets and user consultation
on the results to determine most relevant measures/indicators
What is Social capital?
Relates to:
ƒ
resources available within communities in networks of mutual support,
reciprocity and trust.
and is a factor affecting
ƒ
individual/community wellbeing and 'community strength' (along with
natural capital, human capital, produced economic capital).
OECD definition:
"networks, together with shared norms, values and understandings which
faciliate cooperation within or among groups"
COMMUNITY
RESOURCES
AND
OUTCOMES
Natural Capital
Produced
Economic Capital
Social Capital
Human Capital
Culture, and political, legal and institutional context
Positive and/or
negative effects on
Areas of individual and community wellbeing
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Culture
Networks
Network
type
Major Elements
in the context of
CULTURE AND
POLITICAL, LEGAL AND
INSTITUTIONAL
CONDITIONS
Political
conditions
Network
transactions
Actors,
Relating
units
Network
qualities
Network
structure
Institutional
conditions
Legal
conditions
Positive
effects
Negative
effects
Social Participation
Narrow usage
ƒ refers to socialising, participating with others in activities enjoyed and
valued for their own sake
Broad usage
ƒ effective engagement in all aspects of life appropriate to ones life stage
(eg family life and early childhhood development, education, employment,
involvement in interest groups and recreation and leisure activties)
ƒ
an aspect of human rights i.e. to have the same opportunity to
meaningfully do things accepted as being normal for community members
ƒ
the anthithesis of 'social exclusion' (ie people not able to participate
adequately)
Recognised in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health (ICF) as a key dimension of human functioning (WHO, 2002)
Social Participation (measurement)
Given its concern with networks, 'social capital' embraces the notion of
social participation in all of its many forms:
ƒ eg participation in social groups, civic participation, community
support groups, attending sporting and cultural venues and events as
well as education and work
Commonly measured through participation rates (whether involved in
particular activities within a given reference period or not).
But data says little about quality of interactions (+ve or -ve)
Time Use Surveys also measure intensity of involvement (hours)
Some collections provide data concerning barriers to social participation
(eg 2006 GSS education barriers) and/or data (such as ethnicity,
language proficiency) from which disadvantage or discrimination might
be inferred.
Social cohesion
Concept still undergoing development
Berger-Schmidt and Noll (2000) two dimensions of social development:
ƒ reduction of disparities, inequalities, breaks and cleavages
ƒ strenghtening social connections, ties and commitments to a
community
Beavas and Jenson (2002) five main elements
ƒ Common values and civic nature
ƒ Social order and social control
ƒ Social solidarity and reductions in wealth disparities
ƒ Social networks and social capital
ƒ Territorial belonging and identity
AIHW (2003) a component of welfare, elements include:
ƒ Family formation and functioning
ƒ Social and support networks
ƒ Trust
ƒ Community and civic engagement
Social cohesion (ABS measurements)
In 'Measuring Australia's Progress (MAP)'
ƒ
associated with nature of personal family/ community
connections/social participation i.e. the social capital dimension
ƒ
eg contact with family and friends (bonding networks), level of social
participation, church attendance, volunteering, feelings of safety
ƒ
breakdown of social cohesion measured by indicators of weakened
social bonds i.e. those resulting in homelessness, suicide and druginduced deaths
ƒ
MAP also discussed conflict between people and groups as an
indicator of a breakdown in social cohesion and the prevalence of
racism but noted that there has been no systematic basis for
measurement
Policy interests
Many portfolio areas
health, education, employment, families and childhood development,
rural and regional development, crime and justice, arts, sports and
recreation
strong interest in understanding potential links between social capital and
outcomes in many areas of wellbeing
means to support development of place-based communities
All levels of government
Federal, State/Territory, Local government
Also businesses, welfare and community groups
Apparent in high level strategy statements
Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, 2000
National agenda for early childhood (developing supportive communities
for children)
Stronger Regions, A Stronger Australia (Policy statement), 2001
Growing Victoria Together, refreshed 2005
Tasmania Together, refreshed 2005
ABS Work on Social Capital
Social Capital and Social Wellbeing (Discussion paper)
Framework and Indicators (Information paper)
ƒ
Measuring Social Capital: an Australian Framework and Indicators, 2002
Presenting available indicators
ƒ
Measuring Australia's Progress
Aspects of Social Capital, Australia, 2006 (Cat. No. 4911.0)
ƒ data from ABS sources
ƒ
2002 General Soclal Survey, Time Use Survey, Census of Population and Housing
Voluntary Work, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Sports participation

Question development and data collection
2002 General Social Survey
ƒ 2006 General Social Survey
ƒ
Supporting use of questions in other collections
LSAY, ACT Government Survey, New Zealand GSS, AIFS (LSAC)
ƒ Supporting data development to meet State needs
ƒ
New ABS data on the horizon
2006 GSS (Nat, S/T and other broad area)
ƒ New social capital component
ƒ Voluntary work survey (repeat of 2000)
2006 Time Use Survey (Nat, S/T and some other broad
area)
ƒ Update data from 1992 and 1997
ƒ Various measures of social participation
ƒ Generalised trust
2006 Census (Nat, and small area data by area of choice)
ƒ Voluntary work
ƒ Providing care for children (own and others), and
ƒ Providing care for others with caring needs
2006 General Social Survey (GSS)
Social capital componentS
Repeat of 2002 GSS SC related questions
Recent contact with family and friends
ƒ Feelings of safety at home alone
ƒ Support with small favours
ƒ Support in a time of crisis
ƒ
New questions covering a range of framework elements
Frequency, quality, diversity of personal relationships
ƒ Both generalised and institutional trust
ƒ

in doctors and hospitals & police in local area and other areas
Active group participation (formal and informal) -various kinds
ƒ Participation and proactivity in community events and civic
activities, and knowing people in formal positions
ƒ Informal caring and helping/expectation of support
ƒ Sense of efficacy: able to have a say about things important
ƒ
among
family and friends + in the wider community
Meeting needs for small areas?
Data Sources
Census data
ƒ employment, voluntary work, mobility, caring
Administrative data
ƒ homelessness, suicide and drug-related death rates, crime and
imprisonment rates, trade union membership
National surveys
ƒ provide benchmarks to support smaller area studies
State surveys
ƒ see examples next page
Community level studies
ƒ
the Dept. of Victorian Communities provides community-level data
(n=300 per neighbourhood) for 18 metropolitan suburbs and one
country town in Victoria. To be updated in 2007.
Various non-ABS collections
National
Survey of Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia( HILDA)
Families, Social Capital & Citizenship Survey in 2001 (AIFS).
Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY), conducted by the
Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training
State
In Victoria, the Dept for Vic. Communties has been conducting a statewide social capital survey annually since 2001, with sample sizes of
7,500 per year. ie 'Indicators of Community Strength' as part of the
Victorian Population Health Survey
In NSW the Department of Health's continuous NSW Adult Health
Survey has included a social capital section in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
Each year over 15,000 respondents are interviewed.
WA Health (2000), Queensland Health (2002) and Tasmanian
Department of Health (2002) have each commissioned one-off statewide surveys with large sample sizes to measure social capital.
International happenings
Multilateral agencies
World Bank, OECD
International surveys
World Values Survey (WVS)
International Social Survey Program(ISSP)
International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)
Consortium of Universities in Europe - annual survey on social
cohesion and values
Other national statistical offices active in measuring aspects
of social capital
Statistics Canada - Community Engagement Survey, GSS, 2003
UK ONS - General Household Survey 2004/05
Statistics Sweden
Statistics Finland
Statisics New Zealand - Upcoming GSS
For more information
See Social Capital theme page, accessed through
–www.abs.gov.au
See ABS publications
–Measuring Social Capital: An Australian Framework and
Indicators (cat no 1378.0)
–Aspects of Social Capital, Australia 2006, (cat no 4911.0)
Contacts
–Horst Posselt
Director
Family and Community Statistics Section
02 6252 6316
horst.posselt@abs.gov.au
–Elisabeth Davis
Assistant Director