Journal review: Individualism, collectivism and social capital at the individual level
The authors seek to understand the correlation between social capital (the variable that brings people in a community together for common purposes), and individualism‐collectivism. Their historical analysis notes that social scientists and other researchers have previously examined the rise of individualism in a society, and the impact it has on traditional values, social cohesion and relationships between people.
The authors argue that “individualism may actually foster social capital” (Beilmann et. al., 2012). The study utilized secondary data from The Estonian Survey of Culture and Personality, which has a sample size N = 1,451, and examined cultural value dimensions and ethnic identity in Estonia in 2002. The authors expected to observe a positive correlation between individualism and social capital at the individual level (as opposed to the aggregate level associated with factors like culture and nation).
The authors conclude that their correlations indicate that there is indeed a positive correlation between social capital and individualism. Most notably, the correlation is strongest on the dimension of mature self‐responsibility. The authors explain that it makes sense that those who believe their actions (individualism) have an effect on their own and other people’s lives would contribute positively to social capital.In contrast to the dissertation on privacy policy and user intent, the sample size here was larger. Even though it was from a secondary source, the authors were able to explain the response rates and exclusion criteria. For example, surveys with responses in Russian were eliminated and only those in Estonian were counted in the data set.
This is an interesting study that is timely given the rise of social media and digital engagement, and the long-term effect on several social capital factors mentioned in the article including interest in politics, voluntary work and relations with friends. A study like this could be valuable in analyzing how individualism played a role in impacting the social capital demonstrated in the 2012 presidential election, which relied heavily on social media and the technology in general to drive and manage constituent engagement.
Article References
Beilmann, M., & Realo, An. (2012). Individualism-collectivism and social capital at the individual level. American Journal of Sociology, 16(66/61):3, 205‐217. Retrieved from http://www.eap.ee/public/trames_pdf/2012/issue_3/Trames-2012‐3-205‐217.pdf
