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Harvard University and the San Diego Foundation to Gauge "Social Capital" in the USAre we all "Bowling Alone"? Nation's Social Health Studied Through Its Communities Without adequate supplies of "social capital" - that is, without healthy networks of civic engagement, shared responsibility, and trust within a community - social institutions falter and lose effectiveness. This shortage of civic involvement has critical implications to our social well-being. As Professor Robert D. Putnam first brought to light in his heralded 1995 Journal of Democracy article, "Bowling Alone," Americans' connection with each other and with community institutions has seriously declined over the last half century. High levels of civic engagement and social connection among members of communities help foster better education, safer streets, stronger economies, more effective government, and healthier and more prosperous lives. A massive national survey will soon take the temperature of our nation's social health. A ground-breaking, privately funded investigation to assess the level of social capital in the U.S. and determine how well Americans know and trust each other was launched today by Harvard University, the Ford Foundation, and thirty-six local foundations. The study will poll over 29,000 Americans to gauge such social barometers as neighborhood groups, club membership, public affairs participation, and volunteerism-and will let each community know where it stands on its own civic health. The "Social Capital Community Benchmark" survey was developed by Professor Putnam and leading social scientists through a program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America. "We hope this project will prove to be a launching pad for a new era of revitalizing American democracy," said Putnam whose recently published book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Simon & Schuster), documents a nationwide loss of social capital and shows how in the past such dangerous trends have been reversed. "Social capital is a crucial ingredient in community well-being," noted Putnam. "That nearly 40 American communities, large and small, coast to coast, are now poised to reinvest in their social capital is an enormously heartening development." The Social Capital Community Benchmark survey will be fielded this summer by national research and polling firm, Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch, and reported in early 2001. The Benchmark includes a national polling sample and some three dozen large random samples from diverse communities. The combined total number of individuals surveyed will exceed 29,000. The Ford Foundation is underwriting the cost of the national sample, and local sponsoring organizations - The San Diego Foundation and other community foundations - are underwriting support for local deployment of the survey. The sponsoring foundations and organizations (see list attached) represent all parts of the country and range in coverage areas from rural small towns to large urban metropolitan areas to entire states. The survey results will show where the country stands and measure how people are accountable to each other in Silicon Valley, Cleveland, Kalamazoo, Houston, or Maine among other locations. The San Diego Foundation is San Diego's largest foundation and leading philanthropic organization. The San Diego Foundation's purpose is to improve the quality of life in all of San Diego's communities by promoting and increasing responsible and effective philanthropy. The San Diego Foundation assists donors in building and preserving assets for charitable purposes in the greater San Diego region. It also monitors and assesses the changing needs of the region and meets those needs through financial awards and organizational support. With more than 600 funds and $365 million in assets, The San Diego Foundation is San Diego's largest foundation and leading philanthropic organization. In its 25 years, The Foundation has granted more than $141 million to various programs and organizations. The Saguaro Seminar is a Kennedy School project formed to develop far-reaching ideas to help Americans increase their connections to one another and to community institutions. In its fall 2000 Report the Seminar will publicize bold new approaches, networks, organizations, and strategies to build social trust and reciprocity in communities nationwide. Professor Putnam is director of The Saguaro Seminar and the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy and Government at the Kennedy School. The Social Capital Community Benchmark survey is one of several projects being pursued by Professor Putnam and the Seminar this year. They also include:
Social Capital Community Benchmark Local Sponsors To discuss the overall Benchmark effort, please contact Tom Sander at the Saguaro Seminar at 617-495-2593. For local information about the Benchmark effort in a specific area, please get in touch with the local contact listed below. Sponsoring Foundation/OrganizationArizona Community Foundation The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (GA) Forum 35 and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (LA) The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (AL) The Boston Foundation (MA) The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County (CO) California Community Foundation (Los Angeles County) Foundation For The Carolinas (portions of NC-SC)
Charity Perkins The Chicago Community Trust (IL) The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (OH) The Cleveland Foundation (OH) Delaware Division of State Service Centers/Delaware Denver Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, Marguerite Johnson
and Piton Foundation (CO) East Tennessee Foundation (TN) The Fremont Area Foundation (MI) The Grand Rapids Foundation (MI) Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (NC) Walter and Elise Haas Fund (CA) Greater Houston Community Foundation (TX) Indiana Grantmakers Alliance Kalamazoo Foundation (MI) The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (WV) Maine Community Foundation Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan Montana Community Foundation New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Central New York Community Foundation (Syracuse, NY) Peninsula Community Foundation (CA) Rochester Area Community Foundation (NY) The Saint Paul Foundation (MN) The San Diego Foundation (CA) Community Foundation Silicon Valley (CA) The Winston-Salem Foundation (NC) York Foundation (PA)
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