The Impact of Neighboring on Changes in Sense of Community Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis
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The Impact of Neighboring on Changes in Sense of Community Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis Allison Ross1 · Craig A. Talmage2 · Mark Searle1 Accepted: 9 December 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract Sense of community (SOC) is associated with the quality of community life and the building of social capital. While its linkage to informal social behavior, such as neighboring, is inherent in discussions regarding theory, empirical evidence remains scarce. Moreover, the degree to which neighboring behavior influences SOC over time is largely unknown. Using a latent transition analysis, the effect of neighboring on SOC was investigated over a 5-year span from 2006 to 2011 among a sample of adults (n = 165) in Arizona. Initially, a latent class analysis identified two SOC subgroups: Low SOC and High SOC. The likelihood of shifts in SOC class membership over 5 years was generally stable, with most individuals staying in the same group (82.3% Low SOC; 92.4% High SOC). Neighboring behavior and socio-demographic covariates impacted the likelihood that individuals changed classes, with 25.3% of Low SOC individuals transitioning to High SOC in 2011 and 55.4% of High SOC individuals moving to Low SOC in 2011. Specifically, having an income greater than $60,000 and visiting with neighbors lessened the likelihood of being in the Low SOC class in 2006; and length of residence and exchanging favors with neighbors lessened the likelihood of being in the Low SOC class in 2011. These findings have implications for both community design and community development practice. Design and development interventions that promote greater social interaction may help build and sustain SOC over time. Keywords Neighboring · Sense of community · Latent transition analysis · Latent class analysis
1 Introduction Current evidence indicates a decreasing trend in the quantity and quality of social relationships (see Holt-Lunstad et al. 2010; McPherson et al. 2006; Putnam 2000; Olds and Schwartz 2009). For instance, the number of Americans who report having no confidant tripled over the past two decades (McPherson et al. 2006). In the United States, more than * Allison Ross [email protected] 1
Arizona State University, 411 North Central Avenue, Suite 550, Mail Code 4020, Phoenix, AZ 85004‑0685, USA
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Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 14456, USA
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42 million adults over the age of 45 experience chronic loneliness (Wilson and Moulton 2010), and suicide is now a leading cause of death (CDC 2016). This disturbing trend toward social isolation has dire implications for individual health and mortality—with the effect of inadequate social relationships comparable to well-known risk factors such as smoking (Holt-Lunstad et al. 2010). Social relationships are critical to our health and well-being; however these staggering statistics suggest a widespread lack of social connection and reinforce the need to focus on strategies to build and strengthen social relationships. Sense of co
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