In his book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam worries about the erosion of communities and the threat that presents to undermining America's democratic prospects. The debate over declining community activities, associations, and participation, what Putnam collectively referred to as "social capital," is a discussion about democracy's ability to function and survive. When citizens retreat from civic participation and community affairs, democracy goes on the decline. Putnam, who first studied Italian political culture, fears the Sicilization of the American republic. In Sicily, "[e]ngagement in social and cultural associations is meager. From the point of view of the inhabitants, public affairs is somebody else's business, that of the i notabili, 'the bosses,' 'the politicians,' -- but not theirs." The demise of social capital becomes especially problematic in areas like the Dakotas, which Putnam's research ranked the highest in the nation in social capital. If small towns and communities in South Dakota cannot hold themselves together, can any place?
Despite these concerns, the evidence still points to strong currents of social capital in the area. One area that Putnam explored as volunteering and philanthropy, noting that volunteering increased since the 1960s while participating in community projects fell off. Putnam concludes on a hopeful note, saying "One may hope--indeed, I do--that a new spirit of volunteerism is beginning to bubble up from the millennial generation . . . [the number of young Americans volunteering in the 1990s] displayed a commitment to volunteerism without parallel among their immediate predecessors. This development is the msot promising sign of any that I have discovered that America might be on the cusp of a new period of civic renewal . . ." More evidence for Putnam's optimism was reported by the Associated Press today:
The spirit of volunteerism is thriving in the heartland, but not so much on the coasts.
Midwesterners are more likely to volunteer their time than are people elsewhere in the United States, according to a government study being released Monday. The highest rates were in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan area, where more than four in 10 adults volunteered.
"It's really about Minneapolis' commitment to the quality of life," said Michael Weber, president and chief executive of Volunteers of America of Minnesota.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, used Census Bureau data to determine the share of people age 16 and older who had volunteered their time in the previous year.
The study provides three-year averages, for 2004 through 2006, for the 50 largest metropolitan areas.
Minneapolis-St. Paul was followed at the top by Salt Lake City, Utah; Austin, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; and Seattle, Washington.
Las Vegas, Nevada, had the lowest volunteer rate, 14.4 percent. It was joined at the bottom by Miami, Florida; New York City; Virginia Beach, Virginia.; and Riverside, California.
Nationally, 26.7 percent of adults in 2006 said they had volunteered in the previous year. That compares with 28.8 percent in 2005 and 20.4 percent in 1989.
The study said several demographic and social factors appear to contribute to higher volunteer rates:
- Short commutes to work, which provide more time to volunteer.
- Home ownership, which promotes attachment to the community.
- High education levels, which increase civic involvement.
- High concentrations of nonprofit organizations providing opportunities to volunteer.
Here's the full Corporation for National and Community Service study (PDF alert). The study focused on metro areas, so the Dakotas were not included, but our neighbors to the east ranked first in volunteerism.
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