Homophily and Social Capital in a Network of Religious Congregations

Bibliographic Data

ID4313394
AuthorsJennifer M Mcclure (0000-0002-3829-6834, Samford University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue8
Pages653
Publication date2021-08-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel12080653
OpenAlexW3194149849
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited52

This article investigates the relationship between homophily, the tendency for relationships to be more common among similar actors, and social capital in a social network of religious congregations from eight counties encompassing and surrounding a major metropolitan area in the southeastern United States. This network is inter-congregational, consisting of congregations and the relationships between them. Two types of social capital are investigated: the first involves the extent to which congregations bridge across structural holes, or bridge together otherwise disconnected congregations within the network; secondly, network closure involves the extent to which congregations are embedded in tight-knit clusters. Analyses use two types of homophily (religious and racial) to predict both outcomes, and they test linear and curvilinear relationships between both forms of homophily and the outcomes. Results indicate that congregations with moderate levels of religious homophily are more likely to bridge between otherwise disconnected congregations; however, congregations with low or high religious homophily as well as congregations with high racial homophily are more likely to be embedded in tight-knit relational clusters. This article contributes additional social network research on congregations and evidence of curvilinear relationships between homophily and social capital to the fields of social network analysis and sociology of religion

Geography · Homophily · Metropolitan area · Political science · Social capital · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Social Capital and Networks · Social Psychology