Community Attachment Research Articles

Connectedness to nature: Mapping the role of protected areas

Connectedness to nature (CNT) is likely to be a strong influence on how local communities and stakeholders respond to designation and management of protected areas. This study explores relationships between CNT and location, using the Maltese Islands as a case study. The intensity of CNT, as expressed by a sample of household respondents across the islands (n = 401), was measured using the Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS). Respondents were also asked to indicate places that are significant for their own connection with nature. Results were mapped and analysed with respect to the location of two types of protected areas: Natura 2000 sites and Urban Conservation Areas. The bulk of special places of high CNT identified by respondents were located in or very close to Natura 2000 sites, regardless of respondents’ place of residence and regardless of protected area size. Protected natural areas are therefore important loci of community attachment with nature. Managers of such sites can potentially leverage this attachment to enhance community engagement in conservation and to contribute to increased nature connectedness in the community. However, this study also noted a not-insignificant contribution to CNT from urban or non-protected sites, providing support for adoption of landscape approaches that focus holistically on spaces that provide a context for daily life.

Reduced Risk of Hospitalization With Stronger Community Belonging Among Aging Canadians Living With Diabetes: Findings From Linked Survey and Administrative Data.

Background: Social isolation has been identified as a substantial health concern in aging populations, associated with adverse chronic disease outcomes and health inequalities; however, little is known about the interconnections between social capital, diabetes management, and hospital burdens. This study aimed to assess the role of community belonging with the risk of potentially avoidable hospitalization among aging adults living with diabetes in Canada.Methods: The study leveraged a novel resource available through Statistics Canada's Social Data Linkage Environment: the Canadian Community Health Survey linked to administrative health records from the hospital Discharge Database. A population-representative sample of 13,580 community-dwelling adults aged 45 and over with diabetes was identified. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association of individuals' sense of community belonging with the risk of diabetes-related hospitalization over the period 2006–2012.Results: Most (69.9%) adults with diabetes reported a strong sense of belonging to their local community. Those who reported weak community belonging were significantly more likely to have been hospitalized for diabetes (χ2 = 13.82; p < 0.05). The association between weak community attachment and increased risk of diabetes hospitalization remained significant [adjusted OR: 1.80 (95%CI: 1.12–2.90)] after controlling for age, education, and other sociodemographic and behavioral factors.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced attention to the need to better address social capital and diabetes care in public health strategies. While the causal pathways are unclear, this national study highlighted that deficits in social attachments may place adults with diabetes at greater risk of acute complications leading to hospitalization.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Dementia: Interactions With Social Capital in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study Cohort

This study investigated whether individual-level social capital modifies the association between adverse childhood experiences and dementia onset. A 3-year follow-up (2013-2016) was conducted among participants who were physically and cognitively independent in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Dementia incidence for 16,821 participants was assessed through the public long-term care insurance system. Adverse childhood experiences before age 18 years and social capital were assessed using a self-report questionnaire at baseline in 2013. A total of 7 adverse childhood experiences were assessed: parental death, parental divorce, parental mental illness, family violence, physical abuse, psychological neglect, and psychological abuse. To assess social capital's mediating effect, 3 individual social capital items were measured (community trust, reciprocity, and attachment). The overall social capital score was categorized as low (<10th percentile), middle (10th-90th percentile), or high (>90th percentile). Data were analyzed in 2020. During the 3-year follow-up, 652 dementia cases occurred. Those with more adverse childhood experiences had a greater risk of dementia. Stratification by social capital score showed that the hazard ratio of ≥3 adverse childhood experiences (versus none) was 3.25 (95% CI=1.73, 6.10) among those with low social capital and 1.19 (95% CI=0.58, 2.43) among those with middle social capital. Among those with ≥3 adverse childhood experiences and high social capital, no dementia cases were observed. Among older adults in Japan, adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased dementia incidence only for those with low social capital.

The effect of sport team reputation on team attachment and community attachment: a comparison of fans, local residents, and sponsors

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sport team reputation on team attachment and community attachment by comparing fans, local residents, and sponsors. The team targeted for this research was Victorina Himeji, which was the first professional female volleyball club in Japan. This study consisted of separate surveys for fans, local residents, and sponsors. The results demonstrated that: (a) the measurement scale of sport team reputation could be applied to the three stakeholders; (b) the three stakeholders significantly differed in assessing sport team reputation, team attachment, and community attachment; and (c) the multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that the effect of sport team reputation on team attachment was stronger for fans and sponsors than for local residents, although all paths had positive influences. The present study advanced reputation research in sport by demonstrating the relationships among sport team reputation, team attachment, and community attachment across the three stakeholders.

Faktor-Faktor Pembentuk Behavioral Intentions Pada Klub Persija Jakarta: Studi Penelitian Pada Komunitas Suporter The Jakmania

In the times of growing football industry, behavioral intentions of football fans are also getting changed with the times. The behavior of the fans loyalty has become an important strategic tool used by the man-agement of football clubs in the country in the face of competition existing competition. The main objective of this study was to investigate the factors that form the behavioral intentions of supporters in a match watched his favorite football club. This research is classified as descriptive analysis method to take sam-ples and questionnaires as the main tool. Samples were supporters club Persija Jakarta, whice have a membership card The Jakmania, fans who live and stay in Jakarta and fans who've watched the match Persija Jakarta directly in the stadium. Respondents were selected using non probability sampling tech-niques and sampling purposive. The results of the analysis using Structural Equation Model (SEM) to ana-lyze the results. The results can be summarized as follows: 1. Sport attachment has positive influence on team identification, 2. Player attachment has positive effect on team identification, 3. Local city attachment has positive effect on team identification, 4. Fans community attachment did not effect on team identifica-tion, 5 . Team identification positive effect on behavioral intentions, 6. Game satisfaction positive effect on behavioral intentions, 7. Service satisfaction did not effect on behavioral intentions.

The Impact of Residents’ Participation on Their Support for Tourism Development at a Community Level Destination

Resident participation is crucial to the success of tourism development at community-level destinations. This study examines the effect of residents’ participation on their support for tourism development at the community level through a case study of Gamcheon Culture Village, South Korea. Using the structural equation model (SEM), including the variables of participation of tourism development, community attachment, economic dependence, perceived positive impacts, perceived negative impacts, and attitude toward tourism development, this study found that participation in tourism development significantly influences residents’ attitude toward development. Residents’ participation not only directly affects their attitude toward tourism development, but also indirectly influences it by increasing their positive perception of tourism development. Results empirically reveal that resident participation is critical to tourism development, especially for destinations at the local level.

Impact of displacement on place attachment, landscape value and trust in the Sonepur–Bazari open cast coal mining area, Raniganj Coalfield, West Bengal

Mining induced displacement and its impact on social environment has been researched with an immense interest in social sciences for a long period of time. The present study deals with the impact of mining-induced displacement and rehabilitation on psycho-social behaviour in Sonepur–Bazari open cast coal mining area. Place attachment, landscape value and trust have been taken into consideration to understand the effect on psycho-social behaviour in the respective area. Data for this investigation are predominantly derived from semi structured questionnaire survey of 282 participants from 14 villages of the study area. Cronbach’s Alpha has been calculated to test the internal consistency and reliability of the questions. To measure the answers 5-point Likert scale has been used. The responses have systematically analysed after simulation and it has been concluded that the monitory compensation comprehensively contributed to improve the monthly income of the project affected families but the grim reality is that it does not help to improve the place attachment of the residents with their land rather a weak attachment has been found in the rehabilitation sites. The values of landscapes are also drastically changes from pre displacement to post displacement period. Trust has been calculated as an indicator of community attachment. The result indicates that the trust within a community becomes weak after displacement and a negative correlation has been found between mining-induced income inequality and trust.

Resilience and Hope: Exploring Immigrant and Refugee Youth Experiences through Community-based Arts Practice

Community-based arts practice is programming that informs and fosters essential components of well-being and belonging, including resilience, community attachment via interpersonal connection and exchange as preventive to mental health stressors. Our Art Hive is in a centre-city high school with immigrant and refugee youth in St. John’s Newfoundland, where newcomers often face an insider/outsider dynamic of disconnection. The pop-up Art Hive is a publicly accessible and community-located art-making space grounded in Adlerian theory, collaborative community development, feminist thought, and social justice. Through a community-situated arts-based participatory process, we sought emergent themes. An earlier phase of our collaborative project involved visual art-making and exploring experiences of inclusion and belonging. A second phase of the project included some of the same youth and new members, adding local students invited by the immigrant and refugee youth. This phase explored resilience and hope as a feature of well-being and functioning and as having a relationship with immigrant and refugee youth experiences in smaller Canadian centres. The Art Hive, a form of community art therapy practice, is structured along seven social parameters: focus on intentional art-making, no critical commentary (positive or negative), non-evaluative in nature, no forced participation, witnessing, sharing, and participatory involvement of facilitators. The participant-planned and hosted final exhibit contributed to learning, sharing, and group cohesiveness. A focus group generated data on how the Art Hive informs cultural experiences and feelings of hope.

Social-Psychological Context Moderates Incentives to Co-produce: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey Experiment on Park Upkeep in an Urban Setting.

This paper presents evidence that the relevance of incentives to co‐produce depends on the social‐psychological context under which actors operate. We propose that context (including community attachment, trust in local authorities, ethnic diversity, unemployment level, and population density) moderates effect of incentives (utility of the co‐produced service, monetary and reputational rewards, and social norms). Through a survey experiment carried out in 593 urban locations across 13 countries, we show that willingness to co‐produce increases with community attachment and decreases with ethnic diversity of the local area. The relevance of utility and social norms as determinants of willingness to co‐produce depends on the social‐psychological context. Reputational and monetary rewards have limited effect, and their relation to the context is less clear. All incentives are largely irrelevant when actors operate in cooperation‐conducive circumstances, where co‐production is a value in itself. However, their importance as “tools” to encourage co‐production arises under challenging contexts.

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

The Other Diaspora: Measuring Assimilation Among Polish Gay Men in Chicago

Abstract Migration scholars have traditionally used four measures to assess immigrants’ level of assimilation in the United States: socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language assimilation, and intermarriage. However, for immigrant sexual minorities, some of these measures have been historically problematic; for example, intermarriage is a limited measure of assimilation given the barriers to legal marriage. In this study, I examine the validity of each measure as it pertains to gay men immigrants and propose gay community attachment as an additional measure of assimilation. Drawing on twenty-three in-depth interviews with Chicago Polish gay immigrant men, I find that on the measures of socioeconomic status and language assimilation, the men tend to do well when compared with native populations. However, the measures of intermarriage and spatial concentration tended to capture the complex experiences of gay immigrant men less adequately, especially as these men simultaneously navigated ethnic and sexual communities. As such, I examine individuals’ relationships to both of these communities to gain a more accurate measure of assimilation.

The Effects of Mobility Expectation on Community Attachment: A Multilevel Model Approach

According to the systemic model of community attachment, high residential stability serves as a precondition on which residents build formal and informal social ties within their communities, ultimately resulting in increased community attachment. However, previous studies have only measured residents’ length of residence in the community to measure residential stability, not considering whether expectations of staying in the community in the future affect residents’ community attachment. This study aims to test if mobility expectation influences residents’ community attachment by employing the logistic multilevel model to analyze 31,159 householders from 31 municipalities in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. The results show that residents’ mobility expectation, in addition to the length of residence, is a significant determinant of community attachment after controlling for individual and regional-level covariates. The results provide implications for urban and regional policies aiming to promote community attachment and participation among residents in the age of increasing residential mobility.

The role of social capital in COVID-19 deaths

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has shown a continuously increasing trend with a large variation in the number of COVID-19 deaths across countries. In response, many countries have implemented non pharmaceutical methods of intervention, such as social distancing and lockdowns. This study aims to investigate the relationship of four dimensions of social capital (community attachment, social trust, family bond, and security) and several control variables with COVID-19 deaths.MethodsWe retrieved data from open access databases and a survey. COVID-19 death-related data were collected from the website “Centre for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University”. Social capital-related data were collected from a large-scale survey that included web-based and face-to-face surveys covering 100,956 respondents across all regions/provinces/states of 37 countries in 2017. Data regarding population density, number of hospital beds, and population aged 65 or older were retrieved from the World Development Indicators (WDIs). Data on country lockdowns were obtained from the website “National responses to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic”. Linear regressions were applied to identify the relationship between social capital and COVID-19 deaths.ResultsWe found that COVID-19 deaths were associated with social capital both positively and negatively. Community attachment and social trust were associated with more COVID-19 deaths, and family bond and security were associated with fewer deaths. COVID-19 deaths were positively associated with population density, ageing population, and interactions between four dimensions of social capital-related factors and the ageing population. Furthermore, the number of hospital beds and early lockdown policy were negatively associated with COVID-19 deaths.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the role of social capital in dynamically evolving threats, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, is not always negative or positive. Therefore, people’s behaviour should be changed to support countries’ response to the COVID-19 threat.

Predictors of home being the preferred place of death among Japanese older people: JAGES cross-sectional study.

There is a large discrepancy between people's preferred and actual place of death in Japan. To manage this discrepancy, this study aimed to identify the variability in preferred places of death and their associated factors among Japanese older people. Cross-sectional survey data were collected in 2016 as part of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, in which 20 204 participants were asked about their preferred place of death. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the final determinants for home as the preferred place of death. Based on survey data, 35.8% of respondents preferred home as the place of death, 42.7% preferred some sort of facility and 21.5% were unsure. Those who preferred to be at home when receiving end-of-life care were more likely to be older in age, live with others, be employed, be homeowners, have lived in their current residence for a longer period, not be vaccinated for influenza in the past year, engage in physical work or intense sports, not have participated in end-of-life discussions regarding preferred place of death, have experienced relatives dying at home, practice norms of reciprocity, have a sense of attachment to their neighborhood, receive instrumental social support, interact with neighbors and live in a rural area. Factors related to community attachment were associated with choosing home as the preferred place of death. To fulfill the preferences of Japanese older people, a broad range of demographic, health, behavioral, social, cultural and environmental factors should be considered. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 345-352.

Urban neighborhood self-governance and community attachment: Evidence from southwest China

Rapid urbanization in China and the resultant social problems have prompted the government to experiment with “community building”. One such experiment, attempting to introduce neighborhood self-governance, was conducted from 2009 to 2013 in southwest China. Based on long-term field research and a general social survey in four such communities, this study tested the strength of community attachment as the main indicator of community formation. At the same time, different factors that influence community attachment, including length of residence, social involvement within the community, and satisfaction with community infrastructure and public services were also analyzed to explore a feasible pathway in China to strengthen communities. The results indicated a general high level of community attachment. It also indicated that community involvement, including social bonds, community participation, and community empowerment, contributed most to the strength of community attachment. Evidence from this subdistrict shows that the state could certainly build up communities in a relatively short time. Nevertheless, the robust success of community formation still hinged on social and political participation in the form of neighborhood self-governance. This form of community building through prescribed participation directed by the authoritarian state pointed out a different route from the democratic path of community construction.

Substrate properties as controlling parameters in attached algal cultivation.

There is growing interest in attached algae cultivation systems because they could provide a more cost- and energy-efficient alternative to planktonic (suspended algae) cultivation systems for many applications. However, attached growth systems have been far less studied than planktonic systems and have largely emphasized algae strains of most interest for biofuels. New algal biorefinery pathways have assessed the commercial potentials of algal biomass beyond biofuel production and placed more emphasis on value-added products from that biomass. Therefore, algal strain selection criteria and biomass cultivation methods need to be updated to include additional strains for improved efficiency. One possible way of improving attached cultivation systems is through engineering substrate surface characteristics to boost algal adhesion and enable strain selective algal colonization and growth. This review explores the effect of substrate chemical and topographical characteristics on the cultivation of attached algae. It also highlights the importance of considering algal community structure and attachment mechanisms in investigating attached algae systems using the example of filamentous algae found in algal turf scrubber (ATS™) systems. KEY POINTS : • Attached algal cultivation is a promising alternative to planktonic cultivation. • Performance increase results from tuning surface qualities of attachment substrates. • Attachment adaptation of periphytic algae has innate potential for cultivation.

Psychic income benefits of small-scale sports events: host community perspectives

ABSTRACT Research Question Prior event impact research has largely focused on the tangible outcomes of mega- and large-scale sports events. Significantly less work has examined the intangible impacts of such events. This study helps fill this research gap by testing a measurement framework and scale for psychic income in the context of a small-scale sports event (SSSE) in Northern Iran. Research Method We tested and validated five factors thought to encapsulate the main psychic impacts of a small-scale event. Primary data (N = 825 usable questionnaires) were collected among local community residents. The study samples were divided into two sets: one (n = 412) for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA, Varimax Rotation), and two (n = 413) for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results The results showed that community pride and image, community attachment, event excitement, cultural confidence, and community excitement are valid measures for SSSE psychic income. Although prior research has suggested that community infrastructure is a strongly supported intangible event impact, this construct was not influenced here. Implications Examining the psychic income of SSSE’s in a culturally and geographically distinct setting provides and pathway for future work dedicated to smaller, even grassroots and startup, events. Moreover, by refining and extending existing frameworks, a model of evaluating the psychological benefits of SSSE’s is suggested, which event organizers can utilize to entice sponsors, leverage event-related assets, and maximize host community (and regional) benefits.

Retaining tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs for destination competitiveness

AbstractDue to their representativeness in the universe of tourism businesses and the potential to generate innovation, tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs (TLEs) play an essential role in the competitiveness of tourism destinations. Despite this vital importance, the antecedents of innovation generated by these entrepreneurs and their willingness to stay at the destination are still under‐explored. Findings from a survey of 178 TLEs indicate that the context influences community attachment, and affects indirectly innovation and willingness to stay. Community attachment has a positive influence on entrepreneurial self‐efficacy, innovation and willingness to stay. A transition of the context results to developing economies was also taken into consideration. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The influence of community attachment and environmental concern on climate-related civic engagement in Lake Superior’s north shore region

This study examines the social-psychological determinants of climate-related civic engagement among residents of Lake Superior’s nature-based, tourism-dependent North Shore region in Minnesota. Specifically, it assesses the influence of two dimensions of community attachment (social and environmental) and environmental concern on civic engagement. Data were collected using a self-administered mail survey of 1000 residents in the two Lake Superior watersheds that constitute the majority of the North Shore region. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that residents’ social attachment to their communities is a significant predictor of their climate-related civic engagement. Further, their environmental attachment—while not by itself a predictor--is significantly related to heightened concern about the impacts of climate change on the local environment, which is a significant predictor of residents’ civic engagement. These findings reinforce a two-dimensional understanding of community attachment and they are pertinent for natural resource professionals and community leaders tasked with engaging residents in climate-mitigating or –adaptive actions. They suggest that programmatic outcomes may be enhanced by accentuating the local social and economic consequences of climate change, and the impacts to local natural resources. This may be especially valuable in nature tourism-based economies where altered climatic conditions could more drastically impact the economic well-being of communities.

Integrated coastal and marine management: Insights from lived experiences in the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada

This paper examines ‘the governance gap’ regarding the operationalization of integrated coastal and marine management (ICM). ICM offers a holistic and strategic governance arrangement employed worldwide to help move beyond conventional sector-based approaches to contribute to the sustainability of complex and dynamic social-ecological systems. The context within which we investigate this gap is the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada where a diversity of habitats and activities (e.g., eelgrass beds, mudflats, and estuaries) exist, along with a rich cultural attachment of coastal communities to marine resources. In-person, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 68 individuals across multiple sectors and scales with experience and interest in past or future integrative management interventions, or initiatives, in the Bay of Fundy. Participants identified 60 initiatives that they felt were integrative. However, our results indicate that few initiatives have been operationalized due to a ‘business as usual’ mentality. Five critical challenges were identified relating to: capacity to sustain initiatives; commitment from legal authorities; engagement of diverse actor groups; vertical integration of policies; and, informal structures that facilitate horizontal integration. These results shape how scholars, practitioners, and managers consider ICM as a governance approach. Understanding the governance dimensions of ICM will allow for initiatives to be operationalized more successfully.