Solving the U.S. Social Association Geographical Puzzle: An Exploratory Analysis

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ABSTRACT Social associations are important forms of engagement to support community health and democratic governance. The geography of social associations in the United States presents a puzzling cluster of high-rate counties in the upper Midwest and counties with low rates in the Southwest. We reviewed various definitions of social associations and analyzed the statistical correlations between them and 11 health and behavioral outcome measures they might choose to address. We then examined 13 local demographic and community attributes that should be prevalent in areas with high social association rates. The census definition of social associations included only a small proportion of civically engaged organizations. We found that additional social association organizations tended to be in the same spaces as the U.S. Census Bureau’s defined ones. Areas with high social association rates demonstrated better outcomes for mammography exams, flu vaccination, sound housing, school funding, and others. They have high educational achievement, religious participation, elderly people, and home ownership. We suggest that future geographical research consider resources such as public databases, digital media feeds, and Internet chats to more fully understand patterns of social associations.