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Social Capital in ESDS Data

Social Capital in ESDS Data. Jo Wathan ESDS, Government. In this hour…. ESDS social capital resources How is social capital measured in government surveys What data are available? Research potential & how have the data been used in research. ESDS Government: Social capital resources.

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Social Capital in ESDS Data

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  1. Social Capital in ESDS Data Jo Wathan ESDS, Government

  2. In this hour… • ESDS social capital resources • How is social capital measured in government surveys • What data are available? • Research potential & how have the data been used in research

  3. ESDS Government:Social capital resources • Social capital theme guide & web pages • Joint workshop with ONS • Research conference (with ESDS longitudinal) • Social capital sections in the Scottish data guide (& forthcoming NI guide) • Social capital teaching dataset based on GHS 2000 Social Capital Module – coming soon

  4. How is social capital measured in the social surveys? • Contentious, multifaceted, multifarious • Focus on the ONS harmonised question set • More data contains measures which could be used as indicators of social capital, rather than full sets

  5. Little fluffy cloud • Loosely defined nebulous concept • Putnam (2001) identified at least 6 ‘inventions’ of ‘social capital’. Inc.: • Hanifan(1916): support and social intercourse • Jacobs (1960s): neighbourliness • Bourdieu & Schlicht (1980s): social and economic resources embodied in social networks • Concept is • Both individual and collective • Directly experienced but with indirect results • Covers a range of different aspects of social interaction and participation

  6. Most large scale surveys suitable for secondary analysis are collected for policy purposes… • Should alwaysaskwhy data was collected • Policy interest in social capital associated with social exclusion & 3rd way policy agenda • Potential influence of policy issues on the manner in which concepts and operationalised • Social exclusion unit has adopted the OECD definition of social exclusion – so has ONS

  7. The OECD definition Networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or among groups OECD, 2001

  8. ONS view of social capitalcont’d... • Bonding (Inclusive) - pulls tight, communities together, dense ties, ‘sociological superglue’ – Putnamgood for getting by – de Souza Briggs • Bridging (Exclusive) – weaker ties across groups,‘sociological WD-40’ - Putnam better for getting ahead – de Souza Briggs • Linking – linkages across levels of hierarchy

  9. 5 main aspects in ONS approach • Civic participation (voting, taking action) • Social networks/support (contact with friends/relatives) • Social participation (involvement with groups/voluntary activities) • Reciprocity & trust (giving/receiving favours, trust in other people) • Views about the local area (satisfaction / problems with the area)

  10. ONS harmonised question set(HQS) • Closest thing we have to a ‘standard’ measure within surveys of this type at the moment? • Run in GHS ’04, • will be run in HOCS ’07, SEH, HSE (older people module ’05), FACS ’05 as well as local surveys (e.g. Liverpool and Camden LAs) • Result of considerable methodological work • Available in a range of formats for use in a range of survey types

  11. HQS - examples • (AreaLive) How long have you lived in this area? • (SatLive) How satisfied are you with this area as a place to live? • (Nbackg) To what extent do you agree or disagree that this neighbourhood is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together? • (NTrust) Would you say that Most of the people in your neighbourhood can be trusted... • (SLost) Suppose you lost your (purse/wallet) containing your address details, and it was found inthe street by someone living in this neighbourhood. How likely is it that it would be returned to you with nothing missing? • (Drunk) How much of a problem are people being drunk or rowdy in public places? • (AntiNgh) How much of a problem are troublesome neighbours? • (SolvLP) In the last 12 months have you taken any of the following actions in an attempt to solve • a problem affecting people in your local area? • SHOWCARD • 1. Contacted a local radio station, television station or newspaper • 2. Contacted the appropriate organisation to deal with the problem, such as the council • 3. Contacted a local councillor or MP • 4. Attended a public meeting or neighbourhood forum to discuss local issues • 5. Attended a tenants’ or local residents’ group • 6. Attended a protest meeting or joined an action group... http://www.statistics.gov.uk/socialcapital/downloads/harmonisation_steve_5.pdf

  12. Not the only approach though…. • Surveys prior to 2004 may have social capital components using other question combinations • However most surveys only pick up elements of social capital • Experience of crime • Contact with friends/family • Participation in political/voluntary organisation

  13. Social capital: major sources

  14. Other Social Capital Data More data sources in social capital guide

  15. Focus on Northern Ireland • Sample sizes for UK-wide surveys are generally not large enough unless boosted. • Largest sample sizes are on datasets which do not have minimal use for social capital analyses on their own • Time Use Survey only has 307 cases in NI in 00 • NI boosts and variants • BHPS variant is known as the NIHPS, separate analyses undertaken by ARK since 2001 • NILT, is successor to Northern Ireland Social Attitudes Survey. NILT is supported by the Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive www.ark.ac.uk

  16. Research potential • Microdata means you can use the data flexibly to apply explore definitions/operationalisation • And apply multivariate techniques • Largish sample sizes means you can identify and work with subpopulations • Merge years of data if n is not large enough • Large samples, but still subject to sampling error • Heirarchical data allows you look within families/households

  17. Hierarchical data: conceptually

  18. Neighbouring in later lifePerren et.al (2004) Sociology 38:5 965ff • Looking at impact of gender and household composition on social relations with neighbours • GHS 2000 • Draws on household composition information • ‘Core’ GHS asked of all members of the household • Social capital module only asked of 1 person in the household • Concludes that older people who are materially disadvantaged, also less likely to receive fewer favours (1) Women living with others is the reference category (odds = 1.0). Controls for: tenure, car, health, age, time at address Source: General Household Survey, 2000 (authors’ analysis)

  19. Young People and Social CapitalDeviren & Babb (2005)http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/Social_capital_young_people.pdf • Questions appropriate to all adults may not pick up on young peoples’ activity • Alternative question set on Omnibus Survey • Finds that young people have wider, more active social circles – but have lower levels of civic engagement than their elders

  20. Health Inequalities in the older population: the role of personal capital, social resources and socio-economic circumstancesGrundy & Sloggett (2003) Soc Sci & Med 56, 935ff • Health Survey for England 1993-95 – 3 years of data merged to give large enough n • Social support based on 7 questions responses combined into a single scale to distinguish: no lack, some lack and severe lack of social support • Socio-economic indicators are the most associated with physical ill-health indicators • Lack of social support most associated with psychiatric morbidity (ie. Poor GHQ scores)

  21. Summary • Nebulous concept • ONS moving towards harmonised question set that will be the standard in many datasets • Wide range of data available • Many datasets have component indicators if not Soc Cap Modules • Data suited to flexible, multivariate analyses on populations or subpopulations • Some data suited to hierarchical analyses • ESDS Social Capital theme pageswww.esds.ac.uk/government/themes/socialcapital/

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