Suburbanism as a Way of Life

Abstract

neighborhood contains relatively more men who belong to no formal associations, who never attend meetings if they do belong, and who do not hold office than does the high family status neighborhood. No such relationship appears when comparing the two low economic status neighborhoods. 4. Within each of the neighborhoods persons of higher economic status, as indicated by their own individual educational level, income, and occupation, generally have a greater amount of associational participation than do individuals of lower economic status. However, holding individual economic status constant, persons living in the high economic status neighborhoods still have more associational participation than those living in the low economic status neighborhoods. Thus the economic characteristics of the neighborhood population as a unit may be an important indicator of the economic reference group for those living in the neighborhood, and may define a set of general societal expectations with respect to associational behavior for the residents. 5. It was reported that individual family status characteristics within each of the neighborhoods, such as marital status, age of children, employment status of wife, etc., showed no consistent relationship to formal association participation. 6. Finally, the relationship between age roles and associational participation depends upon economic level. In the high economic status neighborhoods the percentage of frequent attendees increases with increasing age, but in the low economic status neigborhoods no such trend exists. In fact, in the latter type of neighborhoods the relationship between age and participation tended to follow the pattern most often reported in other studies with the older aged persons being the most isolated and the middle aged persons the least isolated.