Overview of Survey Methods for Measuring Social Capital Micha - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Overview of Survey Methods for Measuring Social Capital

Michał Bojanowski

ICM UW

POLPAN Seminar January 8, 2013

Introduction

This talk: is not a complete discussion of Social Capital (SC), focuses on tools related to social resources theory: works of and inspired by Henk Flap, Nan Lin, Tom Snijders, and Martin van der Gaag. focuses on topics relevant in social stratification research, is a rather pragmatic discussion of SC and its measurement in the context of POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Social capital

Social capital is (too) many things. In general: Other people as some sort of social resource(s) beneficial to individual goal attainment. Social capital is defined on different levels

Collective/group level (Coleman, Putnam): SC is produced and owned collectively. Individual level (Lin, Flap): SC additional resources available to individual.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Social capital on group level

Certain forms of social capital can be produced collectively: Social cohesion Trust Norms Solidarity? Example (Coleman): Trust among diamond traders in NYC.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital

Individual social capital

There are various definitions of the individual level SC: Social resources characterized on three dimensions (Flap, 2002):

1

Number of alters in personal social network

2

Resources the alters give access to

3

Availability of resources to ego (e.g. willingness)

“Resources embedded in a social structure that are accessed and/or mobilized for purposive actions” (Lin, 2001) The collection of resources owned by the members of an individual’s personal social network, which may become available to the individual as a result of the history of these relationships (Snijders & van der Gaag, 2003) Even if SC is defined on individual level, it is strongly linked to macro level: what are the actual patterns of social relations and where are the resources located?

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital

Problems

What goals?

Social capital is goal-specific.

Which resources? Where are those resources?

Even if SC is defined on individual level, it is strongly linked to macro level: what are the actual patterns of social relations and where are the resources located? The role of network structure.

Access or use?

Should we focus on access to resources or on use of resources.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital

Access or use?

Should we focus on access to resources or on use of resources. Access

Simple and easy

• Use. Complex because involves

mobilization of resources depends on individual specific needs depends on other forms of social capital depends on individual skills to mobilize interdependence: norms, ethics, trust, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital

Social networks and social capital

Social capital captures certain aspects of position in social network. Social networks: nodes, ties, node attributes, tie attributes Network aspects of social capital: volume/extensity more contacts is better (is it?) diversity diversity of resource collections, diversity of ties (weak ties, structural holes) specific resources e.g. somebody with computer skills, somebody with high prestige job structure betweeness, closeness, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Survey instruments

I will discuss three main survey instruments for measuring SC: Name generator and interpreter (McCallister & Fisher 1978) Position generator (Lin & Dumin, 1986) Resource generator (Snijders, 1999)

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator

Name generator

Extensive study of personal social networks. Components of the name generator: Name-generating questions Acquire a list of alters to whom ego has ties. Name-interpreting questions Acquire information about attributes

• f alters.

Relation-interpreting questions Acquire information about relations

• f ego to alters.

Relations between alters Acquire information whether there are ties among the alters.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator

Name-generating questions

Example questions: Do you know anyone who. . .

helped you get your current job gives advice on problems at work you work together with often is talk about important matters keeps a spare key to your house

If “yes”, interviewer records names of the people (full names, initials, or first names).

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator

Name-interpreting questions

Questions about attributes of every listed contact, for example: gender age education work status job description

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator

Interpreting relations

For every listed person, questions about that relation: closeness intensity meeting frequency

• rigin: where did you meet that person

trust liking geographic proximity do you expected the relation to continue in 5 years

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator

Relations between alters

Questions about relations between alters. For every pair of alters respondent indicates whether these two persons avoided each other did not know each other knew each other a bit knew each other very well knew each other very well and get along very well

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Position generator

Position generator

Developed by Lin & Dumin (1986). Measuring access through network members to certain

• ccupations.

Occupations represent bundles of social resources based on job prestige. Components of the instrument: List of occupations (e.g. 30)

representative for a society well spread along the prestige scale

Question 1: “Do you know anyone in each of these

• ccupations?”

Question 2: Identify person as a friend, acquaintance, family, neighbor, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator

Resource generator

Proposed by Snijders (1999) Measuring access to specific social resources. Fixed list of specific social resources covering several domains

• f life.

Components of resource generator List of resource items (e.g. 30) Question 1: “Do you know anyone giving access to each of the items” Question 2: Identify person as a friend, acquaintance, family, neighbor, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator

How to compose a list of social resources?

Composition of list of resources depends on the purpose of the study. negative social resources (social liabilities)? material vs non-material resources instrumental vs expressive resources How to compose a list if we want to measure “general” social capital? Groups of resources based on various classifications

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator

Classifications

Usually referring to general typologies of goals. Social Production Functions (Becker, Lindenberg)

physical well-being social approval

Domains within goal attainment.

wealth power status

Social support literature

information emotional support/companionship, discussing intimate matters practical instrumental support

Mechanisms via which transactions with SC are accomplished

flow of resources helping of alters credentials trust, love, attention

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Other methods and instruments

Other methods and instruments

Other methods not directly related to SC network upscale methods link tracing respondent-driven sampling . . .

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Data analysis

How data collected using discussed instruments can be analyzed? Constructing scales of social capital. Two types of measures deductive theory-driven, scales are constructed based on item groups delineated a priori inductive data-driven, scales are constructed based on item groups suggested by data

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Name generator

Very rich data, a lot of possibilities. Structural properties of ego networks Resource distributions among alters

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Position generator

Example measures highest accessed prestige range in accessed prestige (diversity) number of different positions accessed (volume) avg accessed prestige total accessed prestige

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Resource generator

Scales and sub-scales constructed using Item Response Theory. Examples of goal-specific sub-scales of SC: prestige and education entrepreneurial resources general practical skills personal support

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Comparison

Different instruments provide uncorrelated measures. Predictive value of SC (based on Dutch data): Income Prestige-related SC accounts for 16% of the prediction of income next to gender, human and inherited resources. Occupational prestige Prestige-related SC (14%). Knowing someone that helped find the current job Significant effects of volume and diversity of SC. Knowing someone that helped find current house Significant effects of volume

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Outline

1

Social capital Individual social capital

2

Survey instruments Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments

3

Data analysis

4

Comparison

5

POLPAN

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

POLPAN

Social capital was not extensively measured in POLPAN so far. SC can be used as: dependent variable

inequality in SC determinants

independent variable

explaining well-being careers, job market position political behavior

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN

Which instrument to choose?

It is better to choose one rather then construct ad hoc hybrids. Name generator too expensive Position generator directly focuses only on prestige. Resource generator

Less abstract than position generator (prestige is an abstract construct) Applicable to a broader range of topics. Goal-specificity

Table 3: Responses to Resource Generator items: percentage of sample that men- tioned at least one alter per resource item in any relationship, and strongest relation- ship when known. (Survey on the social networks of the Dutch (SSND) 1999-2000; N = 1, 004).

% yes if yes, access through family “Do you know anyone who...” acquaintance friend member 1 can repair a car, bike, etc. 83 16 18 66 2

• wns a car

87 3 97 3 is handy repairing household equipment 72 12 17 71 4 can speak and write a foreign language 87 4 11 84 5 can work with a personal computer 90 2 9 89 6 can play an instrument 79 10 16 74 7 has knowledge of literature 70 9 23 67 8 has senior high school (VWO) education 87 6 14 81 9 has higher vocational (HBO) education 94 6 13 82 10 reads a professional journal 78 7 13 81 11 is active in a political party 34 34 26 39 12

• wns shares for at least Dfl.10,000

54 11 21 67 13 works at the town hall 42 44 23 34 14 earns more than Dfl.5,000 monthly 76 10 19 71 15

• wn a holiday home abroad

41 34 26 41 16 is sometimes in the opportunity to hire people 65 21 23 57 17 knows a lot about governmental regulations 69 23 25 52 18 has good contacts with a newspaper, radio- or TV station 32 36 24 41 19 knows about soccer 80 7 16 77 20 has knowledge about financial matters (taxes, subsidies) 81 15 22 64 21 can find a holiday job for a family member 61 29 23 47 22 can give advice concerning a conflict at work 73 22 32 46 23 can help when moving house (packing, lifting) 95 4 17 79 24 can help with small jobs around the house 91 9 20 70 (carpenting, painting) 25 can do your shopping when you (and your household 96 11 24 64 members) are ill 26 can give medical advice when you are dissatisfied 56 20 31 48 with your doctor 27 can borrow you a large sum of money (Dfl.10,000) 60 3 13 84 28 can provide a place to stay for a week if you have to 95 2 15 83 leave your house temprorarily 29 can give advice concerning a conflict with family members 83 3 33 64 30 can discuss what political party you are going to vote for 65 5 27 68 31 can give advice on matters of law (problems with landlord, 64 24 32 44 boss, or municipality) 32 can give a good reference when you are applying for a job 65 37 37 26 33 can babysit for your children 57 12 17 71 As a minimum criterion of ’knowing’ a person that could give access to each of the 33 resource items, the respondent was asked to imagine that when accidentally met on the street, he or she would know the name

• f that person, and both could start a conversation with each other. The name generating questions were
• pen, and relationship information was recoded into Resource Generator categories (see text).

27

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