The Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey

KALAMAZOO COUNTY SCORES HIGH IN "SCHMOOZING" AND DIVERSITY OF FRIENDSHIPS ACCORDING TO NATIONAL SOCIAL CAPITAL SURVEY
Receives Low Marks in Conventional Politics and Civic Leadership

[Community Highlights] [Success Stories] [Press Release] [Future Plans]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Gloria Z. Royal
616/381-4416

KALAMAZOO, MICH., March 1, 2001 . . . Kalamazoo County residents have a high capacity for "schmoozing" or informal socializing and diversity of friendships, but need to improve in the areas of participating in conventional politics and civic leadership.

Five hundred individuals in Kalamazoo County participated in the national Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, which measured America's formal and informal connections to their communities. The survey probed such areas as participation in neighborhood groups, trust in local and national government, diversity of friendships, voting in presidential elections, volunteering for church or schools, giving to charities, socializing with friends and work colleagues and many others.

Dr. Robert D. Putnam, author of "Bowling Alone," and Harvard University professor, led the survey. Dr. Putnam spoke in Kalamazoo in June 2000 at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation's Community Meeting.

The Kalamazoo Community Foundation sponsored the survey, along with 35 community and other foundations across the nation, as part of its ongoing work to enhance the spirit of community and quality of life in the greater Kalamazoo area. Kalamazoo County was one of four Michigan communities that participated in the survey. The Foundation's academic partner on the project was David Hartmann, director, Kercher Center for Social Research, Western Michigan University.

Social Capital in Kalamazoo County
Each community participating in the survey was measured on 11 key dimensions of social capital. For each dimension, Kalamazoo County received a "community quotient or "CQ" score. A score of 100 is interpreted as "what is expected for communities with this demographic composition." A score above 100 means more social capital than expected on a specific dimension; a score below means less social capital than expected.

Survey Results
People in Kalamazoo ranked highest in:
Informal socializing or "schmoozing" (CQ 132) -- the degree to which people have friends over to their home, socialize with co-workers away from work, visit with relatives.
Diversity of friendships (CQ 111) -- the degree to which an individual's social networks include people of different races, economic classes and faith.
Associational involvement (CQ 109)-- participation in associations or groups ranging from sports leagues, neighborhood associations, labor unions, professional trade groups, hobby groups, etc.
Giving and volunteering (CQ 108) -- how much people give to charities and how much time they spend volunteering for local charities

People in Kalamazoo ranked lowest in:
Conventional politics participation (CQ 89) -- a measure of how many in the community are registered to vote, actually vote.
Civic leadership (CQ 98) -- engagement in civic groups, clubs and local discussions in city or school affairs, and how often people take leadership roles in these groups and issues.

Other Facts: Here's how Kalamazoo faired against the national sample on certain social capital survey questions.

Social Capital Question	National Response	Kalamazoo Response
Inadequate transportation very much limits involvement in community activities.	32%	17%
Safety concerns very much limit involvement in community activities.	40%	27%
Describes self as conservative	50%	40%
Place of worship provides sense of community	82%	71%
Works at home 4+ days per week.	17%	32%
Signed a petition in the last 12 months.	35%	48%
Perceived inability to effect changes very much limits involvement in the community.	44%	54%

Reactions to the survey:
Jack Hopkins, president/CEO of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, made these observations about the survey results:

"Kalamazoo County does tend to be a tightly knit community, so one might expect that we would score highest in the area of Informal Socializing (132). We were particularly interested to learn that the community also scored high in the area of Diversity of Friendships (111). The survey indicates that although Kalamazoo is facing the challenges associated with the increase of racial, ethnic and other minorities, there is a level of understanding about the community's growing diversity. Kalamazoo County's lowest score - Conventional Politics (89) - indicates a need to investigate more fully if individuals feel they are actively engaged in local, state and national political processes. Kalamazoo's scores are not significantly different than national scores on questions such as "Voted in the 1996 presidential election?" or "Trusts national government" Nevertheless, it is an area where improvement may be necessary."

What will the Kalamazoo Community Foundation do with the survey information?
Dave Gardiner, vice president of programs, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, explains the Foundation's plans this way, "We participated in this survey to provide our community with a tool to understand its social capital strengths and areas for improvement. Dr. Putnam's social capital theories combined with the positive results of social capital-building projects we've seen at work here in Kalamazoo County indicated to us that the concept was worth exploring in greater depth.

"Specifically, the Foundation recently established Community Engagement and Youth Development as one of its four community investment priorities. The Foundation will accept grant proposals in April and October for programs that proactively engage citizens in an inclusive decision-making process, promote the concept of helping one's neighbors or provide youths with leadership and learning opportunities. In addition, a series of Community Forums will be scheduled this spring to begin the social capital dialogue among leaders in the arts, business, education, government and religious communities.

"This survey is just scratching the surface of the issue and was meant to help us establish benchmarks on various dimensions of social capital. In all likelihood, we will join with Dr. Putnam when he repeats the survey in a few years to see if we've improved our scores," says Gardiner.

The Kalamazoo Community Foundation is a 75-year-old organization dedicated to enhancing the spirit of community and quality of life in the greater Kalamazoo area through its stewardship of permanently endowed funds. The Foundation awarded $13 million in grants last year focusing on these community investment priorities: Families and Individuals, Economic Development, Community Engagement and Youth Development and Education and Learning.

Complete Kalamazoo County CQ Scores
Here are "CQ" scores for Kalamazoo County on 11 key dimensions of social capital measured by the survey:

Social trust (CQ score 103) - the extent to which members of the community trust other people in general, including neighbors, co-workers, shop clerks, police.
Racial trust (CQ score 99) -the extent to which members of the community trust people of different racial groups.
Conventional politics participation (CQ score 89) - how many in the community are registered to vote, actually vote, express interest in politics, are knowledgeable about political issues and read the newspaper regularly.
Activist politics participation (CQ score 108) - the extent to which people take part in marches, boycotts, rallies, and groups seeking reform.
Civic leadership (CQ score 98) - engagement in civic groups, clubs and local discussions in city or school affairs, and how often people take leadership roles in these groups and issues.
Associational involvement (CQ score 109) - participation in associations or groups ranging from sports leagues, neighborhood associations, labor unions, professional trade groups, hobby groups, etc.
Informal socializing (CQ score 132) - the degree to which people have friends over to their home, socialize with co-workers away from work, visit with relatives.
Diversity of friendships (CQ score 111) - the degree to which a people's social networks include people of different races, economic classes, faiths.
Giving and volunteering (CQ score 108) - how much people give to charities and how much time they spend volunteering for local charities.
Faith-based engagement (CQ score 99) - religious membership and attendance, participation in church activities other than worship, giving to religious causes, volunteering at places of worship.
Equality of civic engagement (CQ score 109) - a composite correlation of civic participation across race, income and education levels.

Social Capital at Work in Kalamazoo County
"Barn Raising" in the City

In America's rural past, people would gather together to help a farmer put up a barn. What was virtually impossible for one family to do on its own could be done in a day or a weekend when friends and neighbors pitched in.

Now in its sixth year, Kalamazoo's Building Blocks program has shown that city residents are just as eager to work together when they see that their efforts improve the looks and livability of their neighborhoods. Citizens who have participated in the program have had the opportunity to demonstrate not only how much they care about their neighborhoods, but also their knowledge and skills.

The Building Blocks program operates under the Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. umbrella. It enables neighborhood associations to use student organizers drawn from a seminar taught at Kalamazoo College. Going door-to-door, the students help local residents plan and implement small-scale fix-up and beautification projects. Workdays are set aside in mid-May each year to do the actual work. Block Grant dollars from the City of Kalamazoo and private grants are used to purchase necessary building materials.

Although the workdays in May produce the project's most visible outcomes, the program's ultimate goal is to bring people together - to support informal networks and link concerned residents.

"Before the project," stated Tammy Barnes from the Edison neighborhood, "I didn't know my neighbors very well, and I was a little afraid. Now I realize they are people just like me." Another Edison resident told how Building Blocks helped her overcome a long-time, largely baseless feud with a neighbor. "I found we had so many common interests. Now I feel better about sending my children to play up the street. I know people will be looking out for them."

Neighborhood associations draw strength in other ways from the program, often engaging local street-level leaders. Leslie Decker, long-time director of the Stuart Area Restoration Association, described the powerful impact of Building Blocks. "For the residents, the project's success is as much about friendships, block-level networking, and a sense of neighborhood security as it is about 'bricks and mortar.' Building Blocks provides strong glue to hold a neighborhood together."

The Building Blocks program is showing us that "raising barns" is an activity that is just as vital for today's urban neighborhoods as it was for rural communities in the past. By working together, we can build on the strengths in our people, reviving our cities and our society.

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