Measuring Social Capital – an Australian Framework and Indicators

A comprehensive descriptive framework and indicators for the measurement of social capital from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

This publication from ABS (cat. no. 1378.0) has been developed in consultation with a wide  range of government and non-government agencies and research institutions, and  contributes to national and international work on measuring social capital.

It contains a framework with a proposed set of indicators, and background definitional material.

Interest in social capital has grown strongly over the last decade. In Australia, Eva Cox's Boyer lectures, A Truly Civil Society (1995) gave social capital a high public profile. A few months earlier, Robert Putnam's article, Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital (1995) had done the same in the United States of America.

Social capital combines a broad range of elements that hold a society together, and is associated with potential positive outcomes for both individuals and societies.

At a time when the interdependence of many social problems has been recognised, social capital appears to offer different insights to assist with solutions.

Finding an appropriate balance between governmental, business, communal and personal responsibility in different social and economic areas is a current major policy direction of governments in Australia.

Related to all of these issues is a growing awareness of the energy and resources created when people interact, both in close personal relationships and in more formal associations; and a developing interest in governance and citizenship, and in the qualities and relationships that strengthen democracy. All of these factors have contributed to the level of interest in social capital.

The social capital framework and indicators will be the basis for ABS analytical work on existing data sources, and future collections.

The paper chapters

1. Introduces social capital and the ABS work program on the topic.
2. Comments on terminology, relationship with other social concepts, approach to community and the need for social capital measurements with Australian examples
3. Details the ABS social capital framework
4. Defines and discusses the framework elements with suggested measurement indicators
5. Appendices, Glossary and Bibliography

The ABS invites comment and discussion on the social capital framework, the indicators and data items.

Follow this link to the Measuring Social Capital paper (pdf - opens a new browser window)

For further information

Contact	:	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
Phone	:	1300 135 070
Email	:	client.services@abs.gov.au

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