A civic bridge or a silo? Islam, religious affiliation, and civic engagement in rural Indonesia

Abstract

This article tests the hypothesis that membership in faith-based civic associations leads to more secular forms of civic engagement in a Muslim-majority nation. Drawing from Social Capital Theory and using survey data from rural Indonesia, this study examines whether religion, especially Islam, works as a silo that houses most civic life or as a bridge to greater and more diversified civic engagement.The study poses two questions: Does religious affiliation increase secular volunteering and charitable giving? Anddo levels of engagement and philanthropic giving vary based on a household’s faith or the community’s religious composition?The findings imply that Islam serves as a civic bridge to more secular forms of engagement, albeit a short civic bridge. Residents of Muslim-majority communities engaged less diversely, raising concerns that Islam may operate more as a silo that fosters local network ties rather than as a bridge to more cross-cutting connections.