This page lists the outputs to date from the Social Capital Project.
Harmonised Question Set (UK harmonisation paper)
During 2002/2003 the cross-government Social Capital Working Group agreed on a definition of social capital for use across government and a framework for its measurement. It has also developed a set of harmonised questions for use in national and local surveys. A report outlining the development of the harmonised questions has been written along with an annotated version of the harmonised question set which provides a guide to the questions for use in the measurement of social capital.
Social Capital: Longitudinal and Time Series Data Sources
This fact sheet provides information about UK and international surveys that contain longitudinal or time series data on social capital. The surveys are described along with information on time periods for which data are available, the type of respondents, survey coverage, aspects of social capital covered by the surveys and website addresses where further information can be obtained.
Social Capital: literature review
The social capital literature review discusses the key issues with regard to the definition and measurement of social capital and examines the implications of social capital for policy makers.
Social Capital survey matrix
The matrix details twenty one major surveys which contain questions relating to social capital, tabulating in matrix form which facets of social capital and which type of questions are included in each survey.
Volunteers, Helpers and Socialisers
Using data from the UK 2000 Time Use Survey this article looks at three aspects of social capital, time spent volunteering (formal participation), time spent helping others or providing informal care (informal involvement) and social time with friends and family (informal sociability). The article describes the characteristics of adults (aged 16 and over) who engage in these activities, where they do them and who they do them with.
Investing in each other and the community
This article examines trends in social capital over time, by location, and through different sub-groups of the population. It was the lead article in Social Trends 33.
Young people and Social Capital - Phase 1
This paper provides background information on the conceptualisation and measurement of social capital among young people aged 16 to 24 years, and outlines the aims and objectives of the joint project between the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Education and Skills.
Young people and Social Capital - Phase 2
Results are presented from a new NS Omnibus Survey module evaluating the social capital experience of young people aged 16 to 24.
Conference papers
Papers from the ONS and OECD conferences held in September 2002 and May 2003 to discuss the international measurement of social capital are available on the OECD's website.
