A report examined the implications of the internet for the development of social capital.
Source: William Davies, You Don't Know Me, but... Social Capital & Social Software, Work Foundation (0870 165 6700)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report (pdf links) | Work Foundation press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A paper set out a conceptual framework for exploring the relationship between time use and the development of social capital. It argued that there was evidence for some degree of leisure famine in recent years in the United Kingdom, which might constrain civic engagement outside the workplace, relative to the earlier post-war period.
Source: Anne Gray, Towards a Conceptual Framework for Studying Time and Social Capital, Working Paper 3, Families & Social Capital ESRC Research Group/South Bank University (020 7815 5750)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
A report looked at the emerging importance of social capital, and at the voluntary sector and government s role in developing it. It said government should acknowledge that there were varying degrees of social capital within communities, and should provide a range of policies to support this. Social capital should stand as a policy objective in its own right alongside community development, civil renewal and participation, and should be funded accordingly;
Source: Halima Begum, Social Capital in Action: Adding up local connections and networks, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: NCVO press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A report described the results of a survey of 20,000 people that set out to investigate levels of individual expectation of, and obligation, to the state; the extent and types of individual participation; levels of trust among individuals; levels of individual identification with, and integration in, different communities; and levels of individual satisfaction with democratic institutions and policy outcomes.
Source: Patrick Seyd and Charles Pattie, A Citizen Audit for Britain, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Nov
A report examined ways of measuring the development of civil society and social capital, and began to create an information resource to enable this to be done more systematically.
Source: Unravelling the Maze: Survey of civil society in the UK, Centre for Research and Innovation in Social Policy and Practice (0191 232 6942)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Nov
Four articles discussed different aspects of the relationships between social capital, families and welfare policy. The first article placed the concept of social capital within the historical context of the hollowing out of the welfare state , and highlighted four interrelated problems that hollowing out processes posed for the establishment of social capital. The second analysed existing research on social capital, school choice and educational attainment, in order to identify the questions that needed to be answered if the role of social capital in reducing or extending social inequality were to be addressed. The third outlined some key aspects of the relationship between ethnicity and social capital in contemporary British society. The fourth related different views of the state of contemporary intimate relationships to the concept of social capital.
Source: John Michael Roberts and Fiona Devine, 'The hollowing out of the welfare state and social capital' | Irene Bruegel and Simon Warren, 'Family resources and community social capital as routes to valued employment in the UK?' | Harry Goulbourne and John Solomos, 'Families, ethnicity and social capital ' | Janet Holland, Jeffrey Weeks and Val Gillies, 'Families, intimacy and social capital ' | All in Social Policy and Society, Volume 2 Issue 4
Links: Links to abstracts
Date: 2003-Oct
A report explored how social capital was generated by, or related to, voluntary sector activity within rural communities.
Source: Holly Yates and V ronique Jochum, It's Who You Know that Counts, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Oct
A report sought to clarify the link between social capital and the voluntary sector, and to explore the role of the sector in building social capital. It included a brief summary of the theoretical framework of social capital; a review of approaches to measurement and research; details of several approaches specific to the voluntary and community sector; and a discussion of how social capital related to the voluntary and community sector.
Source: V ronique Jochum, Social Capital: Beyond the theory, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (0800 279 8798)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Sep
Researchers explored the potential for education to have a positive impact on overall social cohesion and the levels of trust with societies.
Source: John Preston and Andy Green, The Macro-Social Benefits of Education, Training and Skills in Comparative Perspective, Report 9, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/University of London (020 7612 6291)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
An official survey found that formal volunteering and civic participation activities were highly concentrated among people in more affluent social groups. The government said the survey highlighted a need to encourage greater civic activity among those from poorer, deprived communities and people with no qualifications.
Source: Chris Attwood, Gurchand Singh, Duncan Prime, Rebecca Creasey et al., 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey: People, families and communities, Research Study 270, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Press release 16 September 2003, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2003-Sep
A survey found that, on an average day, adults have around five and a half hours of free time. Of this, 4 minutes are spent volunteering, 8 minutes helping others and 44 minutes socialising. Overall, on any given day, just over four in ten people are 'socialisers', fewer than one in ten are helpers and even fewer are volunteers. (Results are from the UK 2000 Time Use Survey, a voluntary sample survey of private households.)
Source: Dave Ruston, Volunteers, Helpers and Socialisers: Social capital and time, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release (pdf)
Date: 2003-Feb
The feature article in the 2003 edition of Social Trends presented an overview of social capital. The main indicators were taken to include formal and informal social networks, group memberships, community and civic engagement, and trust in neighbours. 35 per cent of single people see friends on a daily basis, compared with only 14 per cent of married people. Membership of some voluntary organisations has increased over the past 20 years. Trust in neighbours rises steadily with age: 39 per cent of people aged 16-29 trust most or many of their neighbours, compared with 75 per cent of those aged 70 and above.
Source: Paul Haezewindt, 'Investing in each other and the community: the role of social capital' in: Carol Summerfield and Penny Babb (eds.), Social Trends 33: 2003 edition, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jan