Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityOnce we bowled in leagues, usually after work—but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, which The Economist hailed as “a prodigious achievement.” Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans’ changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures—whether they be PTA, church, or political parties—have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe. Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam’s Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do. |
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Page 219
... shows , three out of every four Americans born in the first third of the twentieth century continue to read a daily newspaper as the century closes , just as that generation did decades ago . Fewer than half of their boomer children are ...
... shows , three out of every four Americans born in the first third of the twentieth century continue to read a daily newspaper as the century closes , just as that generation did decades ago . Fewer than half of their boomer children are ...
Page 243
... shows , were generally more engaged in community life than other Americans , in part because these audiences tended ... shows , the more time spent watching news , the more active one is in the community , whereas the more time spent ...
... shows , were generally more engaged in community life than other Americans , in part because these audiences tended ... shows , the more time spent watching news , the more active one is in the community , whereas the more time spent ...
Page 359
... show that the Ameri- can states with the higl : est levels of social capital are precisely the states most characterized ... shows that in high - social - capital states people from different social classes are equally likely to attend ...
... show that the Ameri- can states with the higl : est levels of social capital are precisely the states most characterized ... shows that in high - social - capital states people from different social classes are equally likely to attend ...
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activities adults African Americans American analysis of DDB Author's analysis average Barry Wellman behavior boomers bowling chapter Chicago church attendance cities citizens civic disengagement civic engagement club meetings cohort community projects compared computer-mediated communication correlated DDB Needham decades decline Democracy demographic economic effects entertainment environmental evidence fewer figure forms fraction friends Gilded Age groups growth half important income individual Internet Journal less levels membership ment mobility National National Election Study nearly Needham Life Style neighborhood neighbors organizational organizations parents participation percent Political Trends surveys poll population predictor Progressive Era religion religious reported Research Robert Roper Social roughly Social and Political social capital social connectedness social networks Social Survey social trust society Statistics Style survey archive television Theda Skocpol tion turnout twentieth century University Press Urban virtually voluntary associations volunteering voting watching women workplace York