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The Multidimensional Nature of Social Cohesion: Psychological Sense of Community, Attraction, and Neighboring

  • Original Paper
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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Items from the Neighborhood Cohesion Instrument were completed by 1,732 individuals from a random sample of households in 20 rural communities across Canada during the summer of 2001. Confirmatory factor analysis of the NCI items based on polychoric correlations and weighted least squares estimation found three underlying latent variables. Although items were related to the three latent variables in a somewhat different manner than they were in Buckner’s original study, the same three latent variables were evident, providing convincing evidence that social cohesion has at least three subscales: psychological sense of community, neighboring, and attraction. Correlations between subscales were relatively high (between .67 and .87). Intraclass correlation coefficients for the three scales were .115, .127, and .112. In addition, the community means differed on different subscales in a manner that related to recognized characteristics of the communities. Thus the subscales are appropriate measures for both individuals and communities and can be recommended for further research on social cohesion.

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Notes

  1. Using the Web of Science Citation Index accessed on July 16, 2005.

  2. The NRE is a long-term collaboration among academic researchers in a variety of Canadian universities who believe that Canadian rural areas have been underrepresented politically and underresearched academically.

  3. Henry (2004) suggested that the fpc be used when n/N is greater than 5%. Many of the n/N ratios in the NRE study were substantially larger than that limit.

  4. Using polychoric correlations necessitates using Asymptotically Distribution Free Weighted Least Squares in LISREL (Jöreskog and Sörbom 1996a).

  5. The figure for this model was not included, but is available from the author on request.

  6. Hu and Bentler recommended a cut-off value for RMSEA close to .06 (1998:449). They do, however, hedge this recommendation in relation to ADF analyses and particularly for small (n < 250) samples.

  7. Further investigation is warranted. Cross-cultural and cross-national studies could help to provide more information about how specific beliefs and practices matter for cohesion.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Robinson for long-term intellectual stimulation and support, Bill Reimer and Anna Woodrow for their encouragement, Ray Bollman, David Connell, and Greg Halseth for perspicacious comments, the whole New Rural Economy project for demonstrating that research excellence can be achieved by small universities partnering over large distances, and all the respondents from the NRE sites who participated in different stages of the research. The two reviewers for the AJCP were extremely helpful in clarifying both analysis and presentation. Thanks also to Stewart Madon and Janet Wright for editorial comments. I should like to gratefully acknowledge funding for the NRE project received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and from The Rural Secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation was the original sponsor for the NRE project.

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  1. Department of Sociology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada, P3E 2C6

    Derek Wilkinson

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Wilkinson, D. The Multidimensional Nature of Social Cohesion: Psychological Sense of Community, Attraction, and Neighboring. Am J Community Psychol 40, 214–229 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9140-1

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