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Social Capital and Participation in Community Improvement Activities by Elderly Residents in Small Towns and Rural Communities *
Author(s) -
Liu Amy Qiaoming,
Besser Terry
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1549-0831.2003.tb00141.x
Subject(s) - social capital , interpersonal ties , collective action , sense of community , rural community , social engagement , sociology , action (physics) , community organization , community building , economic growth , rural area , capital (architecture) , community development , community participation , socioeconomics , public relations , political science , social science , geography , economics , archaeology , physics , quantum mechanics , politics , law
This study critically reviews theoretical concepts and measurements of social capital and tests hypotheses that elaborate how four dimensions of social capital (informal social ties, formal social ties, trust, and norms of collective action) and sense of community are related to participation in community improvement activities for elderly residents in small towns and rural communities. Mail surveys of 2,802 elders in 99 small towns and rural communities in Iowa reveal that many elders are actively involved in their community. Social capital and sense of community are very important in predicting elderly participation in community improvement activities, but they relate differently to elderly community involvement. Formal ties and sense of community have much stronger relationships with community involvement than informal ties and norms of collective action. Generalized trust is not significantly related to elderly community involvement.