Social capital is the combined value of social networks and the willingness people have to do things for each other, according to Robert Putnam, author of
Bowling Alone and one of the thought leaders on the concept of social capital. Social and racial trust and levels of volunteerism are indicative of the amount of social capital a community has. Because social capital is a result of cooperative networks of people, social and racial trust levels can directly affect these networks’ productivity. Volunteering can be indicative of the level of a community's civic awareness or insularity as well as the presence of good role models.
This aspiration presents data and information for two indicators, which are listed in the grey panel on the right side of this page. Specifically, the two indicators within this aspiration report the following:
- Civic engagement & social & racial trust: General sense of social and racial trust as reported in the 2004 Dallas at the Tipping Point report, the 2005 report update, and local newspaper articles
- Volunteer activity in Dallas: Numbers and increase in opportunities for volunteering through the Volunteer Center of North Texas as well as national statistics on volunteering from the Bureau of Labor Statistics