NCJ Number
245407
Date Published
November 2013
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This is the executive summary of a study that examined the features of "collective efficacy" - ability of neighborhood residents to act cooperatively in achieving common goals and shared values for a neighborhood - in eight diverse neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County, FL.
Abstract
A similar but distinctively different concept for neighborhoods, "social cohesion," was also examined in conjunction with collective efficacy. "Social cohesion" is "an emotional and social investment in a neighborhood and sense of shared destiny among residents." The results indicated that a number of important relationships showed heterogeneity across the eight neighborhoods. The relationship between perceptions of collective efficacy and perceptions of incivilities did not differ among the neighborhoods; however, the relationships between social cohesion and perceptions of incivilities apparently did differ among the neighborhoods. Apparently, there was no heterogeneity in the relationships between perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion and satisfaction with police. The relationship between perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion with fear of crime were significantly different across neighborhoods. Higher perceptions of social cohesion were associated with home ownership, but not collective efficacy. Higher perceptions of both collective efficacy and social cohesion were associated with greater use of neighborhood parks. Participation in volunteer activities was associated with higher perceptions of social cohesion. Recommendations are offered for future research and for policy. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 8 references
Date Published: November 1, 2013