Small groups,contexts, and civic engagement: A multilevel analysis of United States Congregational Life Survey data |
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Institution: | 1. Medical Department, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan;2. Hualien Veterans Home, Veterans Affairs Council, Hualien, Taiwan;3. Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;4. Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan;5. Departments of Family Medicine and Medical Research, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan;6. School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan;7. Center for Aging and Health, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan |
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Abstract: | Prior research suggests that church-goers are more civically engaged than their non-church-going counterparts. Little is known, however, about how the popular phenomenon of small groups factors into this equation. In the present study, we examine relationships between small group participation at individual and congregation levels and civic engagement. Using multilevel modeling and national data on congregations and individuals from the U.S. Congregational Life Study (n = 82,044), we find that: (1) individual-level small group involvement is associated with four measures of civic engagement; (2) congregation-level small group participation is associated with both lower and higher civic engagement in the case of two outcomes; and (3) in the case of three civic outcomes, congregation-level small group participation moderates individual-level small group involvement such that small group members’ civic activity more closely resembles the lower civic engagement of small group nonparticipants. In the case of one civic outcome, at high levels of overall small group participation, small group members’ civic engagement drops below that of small group nonparticipants. Explanations for these findings, including a “crowding out” effect, are examined including their complex implications for debates regarding small groups, religious involvement, and civic engagement. |
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Keywords: | Civic engagement Community Small groups Congregations Social networks Religion |
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