It takes two: A dyadic model of recruitment to civic activity

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWhy are some people, but not others, asked to engage in civic activity? Rather than focus on the personal traits of either potential recruits or recruiters for this initial stage of recruitment, we develop and test a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of shared relationships and characteristics between those doing the recruiting and those being recruited. Specifically, the nature of interactions, overlapping community and associational space, status and value homophily, and strength and intimacy are assessed to explain differential recruitment among people's closest ties. Furthermore, unlike previous studies, we do so across three different forms of civic activitydblood donation, volunteer work, and political activismdallowing us to identify larger patterns in civic solicitation. Results from multilevel analyses of dyads reorganized from ego-centric data of U.S. adults show that while certain personal traits of egos and alters remain significant, attributes of the dyad are equally, if not more, consequential for explaining variation in who gets asked to participate in civic activity. Importantly, while certain dyadic characteristicsdsuch as romantic partnershipsdpromote recruitment to all three forms of civic activity, the effects of othersdsuch as sex homophilydare unique to specific forms. Broadly speaking, our results indicate that some types of dyadic characteristics are more powerful than others and that there are important differences in how particular dimensions of social connections shape recruitment efforts across the specific activities of donating blood, volunteering time, and engaging in political activism.

Sexual Identities and the Role of Marriage in Social Movement Activism

“…A few studies have quantified the link between marriage and activism among sexual minorities. Some studies suggest that gay and lesbian marriages increased participation in civic groups and liberal social movements (Beyerlein and Bergstrand 2016; Lannutti 2018; Rostosky et al 2015; Rothblum, Balsam, and Solomon 2008; Taylor et al 2009), other studies found that marriage stunts the liberal activism of lesbians and gays (Ocobock 2018; Swank, Atteberry-Ash, Coulombe, and Woodford 2020; Swank and Fahs 2019; Thai and Dellers 2020).…”

“…In presenting a version of the “Simpson’s paradox,” marriage had an inverse relationship to protesting and liberal social movement participation for heterosexuals and lesbians/gay men. Marriage boosted social movement participation among lesbians and gay men (Beyerlein and Bergstrand 2016; Rothblum, Balsam, and Solomon 2008; Taylor et al 2009). The LG marriage bump applied to social movements that promoted LGBT rights as well as collective efforts at world peace, healthy environments, and an abolition of racial/gender biases.…”

“…Other LGBT activists concede that same-sex marriage valorizes domesticity and the nuclear family, but they argued that same-sex marriage brings many financial and legal protections along with greater commitments to LGBT rights (Bernstein and Taylor 2013) A few studies have quantified the link between marriage and activism among sexual minorities. Some studies suggest that gay and lesbian marriages increased participation in civic groups and liberal social movements (Beyerlein and Bergstrand 2016;Lannutti 2018;Rostosky et al 2015;Rothblum, Balsam, and Solomon 2008;Taylor et al 2009), other studies found that marriage stunts the liberal activism of lesbians and gays (Ocobock 2018;Swank, Atteberry-Ash, Coulombe, and Woodford 2020;Swank and Fahs 2019;Thai and Dellers 2020).…”

“…Later studies on the political impacts of lesbian/gay marriages are less conclusive. One study suggested that same-sex married people were more civic minded than different-sex couples when addressing volunteer projects (Beyerlein and Bergstrand 2016) but another study found that marriage did not alter the political liberalism of lesbian and bisexual Canadians (Guntermann and Beauvais 2022). A study from Australia found that gay men’s desire to marry had nothing to do with their involvement in LGBT communities (Philpot et al 2016) and two U.S. studies concurred that LGBT marital status was not related to participation in LGBT cultural events, LGBT support groups, and rallies against LGBT hate crimes (Ocobock 2018; Sheehan, Maduro, and Derlega 2021).…”

Does Participation in Adult Education Increase Volunteering? An Analysis of British Longitudinal Data

“…Second, the larger a social network is, the greater are the chances to be recruited as a volunteer. Whether or not someone is asked to volunteer depends not only on personal characteristics but also on the frequency of interactions and the types of discussions held with others (Beyerlein & Bergstrand, 2016). Individuals with small social networks may also be motivated to start volunteering to get to know more people.…”