Does the relationship between racial, ethnic, and income diversity and social capital vary across the United States? A county-level analysis using geographically weighted regression

Abstract

Social capital provides important health, economic, and community benefits. While there are several types of social capital, that which is characterized by connections between diverse individuals from different social groups is thought to be particularly valuable. Despite the fact that both socio-demographic diversity and social capital exhibit significant spatial variation across the United States, there remains a lack of research investigating the relationships between these variables at the county level. This study utilized geographically weighted regression to explore the potential non-stationarity of the relationships between racial, ethnic, and income diversity and social capital. Results indicate spatial non-stationary with regard to all three types of diversity, with statistical significance, strength of association, and direction of the relationships varying notably across the United States. These findings underscore the need for more attention to local variation in the relationships between forms of diversity and social capital. The local spatial modeling strategies used here offer a different perspective on these relationships.