A Description of Social Cohesion in Low and Moderate-Income Neighborhoods

Background and Purpose:  Neighborhood social cohesion is the network of trusting relationships that exist among close-knit neighbors that share similar values, get along, and are willing to help one another. Neighborhood social cohesion is a relational resource available to members of the trusted and close-knit group and may be a critical point for interventions in low and moderate-income neighborhoods.  Previous research shows that neighborhood social cohesion plays a critical mediating role for important health and safety outcomes (Sampson, 2013). The concept is used in community interventions and may be particularly useful for senior communities as social workers grapple with the role of increased longevity.  Yet, there is a lack of basic descriptive information on neighborhood social cohesion to guide research, policy, and programs. The research questions are: 1) what does social cohesion look like in low and moderate-income neighborhoods; and 2) is neighborhood social cohesion malleable over time?

Methods:  The study uses data from three waves of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections initiative to provide a thorough description of the variation in neighborhood social cohesion across low to moderate-income neighborhoods and over time.  The Making Connections data were collected on a stratified random sample of 7,495 households in 430 Census block groups in ten cities in the United States between 2002 and 2011.  The current study aggregates social cohesion scores at the United States Census block group level to create a sample of neighborhood social cohesion scores in low and moderate-income neighborhoods. Neighborhood social cohesion is measured using five survey items measured on a five point Likert type scale with 1 representing low neighborhood social cohesion (strongly disagree) and 5 representing high neighborhood social cohesion (strongly agree). Descriptive statistics and growth curve models are used to provide a rich description of neighborhood social cohesion in low and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Results:   Across 430 neighborhoods and three time points the mean social cohesion score is 3.25 (SD=.36; alpha=.73). Analysis over time showed an average neighborhood social cohesion change score of -.013 over 8 years.  More importantly, the standard deviation of change over time was .38, which suggests that there is considerable variation in neighborhood social cohesion across neighborhoods over time. Growth models demonstrate a significant yearly increase in neighborhood social cohesion over time (B=.01, SE=.003).  Growth models for sub-sets of neighborhoods with the highest levels of baseline neighborhood social cohesion (top 10%, B=-.04, SE=.01) and lowest levels of baseline neighborhood social cohesion (bottom10%, B=.06, SE=.01) show the largest changes in neighborhood social cohesion over time. Growth models also reveal baseline Census block group income is significantly related to growth in neighborhood social cohesion (B=.01, SE=.003).

Conclusions and Implications:  The study demonstrates that neighborhood social cohesion does vary across neighborhoods and over time.  Further, the study confirms Census block group income is predictive of growth in neighborhood social cohesion. Findings suggest that the malleability of neighborhood social cohesion over time make it a viable point of intervention for anti-poverty programs and policies.