Social connectedness and political behavior

Abstract

One of the focal points of social networks research has been the process by which individuals utilize information and cues from their social networks and communities to form political attitudes and make decisions about how and when to participate in politics. Not all individuals, however, have large social networks or are strongly connected to their local social environments. Furthermore, despite concerns about rising social isolation in American society, the role that relatively socially disconnected individuals play in politics is not well understood. Using a nationally representative data set with information about communities, social networks, and individual-level variables, this paper examines social connectedness and political behavior. Those who are more socially isolated, it is found, are neither more conservative nor liberal on any particular political issues, but clearly participate in politics less than individuals who are well connected to those around them. Finally, while individual political ideology is not correlated with isolation, the contextual influence of the local environment on individual preferences is correlated with social connectedness. When compared with well connected citizens, individuals who are more isolated are less likely to have their vote choices influenced by those around them. Individual social connectedness conditions the effect of contextual social influence.

Life course social connectedness: Age-cohort trends in social participation

“…Social connectedness has quickly gained traction as an important research area in the past two decades, with much evidence pointing to its considerable impact on various outcomes for both individual and society. Researchers have consistently found that higher levels of social connectedness are linked to desirable outcomes such as increased political participation (Paxton 2002, Reilly 2017, and better health outcomes (Cornwell andWaite 2009, Kawachi, Subramanian andKim 2008). On the other hand, a lack of social connectedness (i.e., social isolation) often leads to increased mortality risk (Holt-Lunstad et al 2015), and can exacerbate the negative consequences from natural disasters (e.g., a heat wave, Klinenberg 2001).…”

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a buzz of negativity with a silver lining of social connectedness

“…In relating social connectedness to political behaviour, Reilly (2017) holds the view that those who are more socially isolated in America are neither more conservative nor liberal on any particular political issues, as they clearly participate in politics less than individuals who are well connected to those around them. In the corporate governance literature, social connections facilitate information sharing and trust building.…”

The crowding of social distancing: How social context and interpersonal connections affect individual responses to the coronavirus*

“…While there is little argument that in-person interactions have the strongest impact on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, there is a growing debate in social science about how online interactions affect and shape human behavior. Online communities, interactions, and social networking sites have been demonstrated to have both a positive and negative impact on an individual's well-being, with arguments ranging from social media exacerbating isolation and alienation, to arguments that online media can promote in-person interactions and a sense of belonging (Fox and Moreland 2015;Sabatini and Sarracino 2017;Webster, Dunne, and Hunter 2021;Zhang and Centola 2019). Online interactions have both positively and negatively shaped health outcomes, often depending on the nature of the connection and the community (Zhang and Centola 2019).…”