Linking Congregation Racial Composition with Social Capital among God-Believing Youth

• In Event: 2166 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 9: Race & Religion

Abstract

Social capital is an important concept in studies that specify the bonds and bridges that cause people to feel connected. This literature implies that ethnic and racial diversity undermines social capital, particularly the bonding subtype at least temporarily. The present study generates a new way of thinking about social capital in the context of religious institutions. With nationally representative survey data from the 2003 National Study of Youth and Religion, I analyze the association between congregation racial composition and closeness to God among God-believing white youth (1,274). I conduct ordinary least squares regressions and include an interaction between congregation racial composition and frequency of religious service attendance while controlling for various sociodemographic, religious, and interracial contact variables. Results indicate that net of controls, the association between congregation racial composition and closeness to God depends on religious service attendance for white youth. In other words, white youth exposed to more interracial contact experience low levels of closeness to God. I conclude that interracial contact may undermine bonding capital as it stifles one’s closeness to God. Further, these findings underscore how hetero and homogeneity may factor in sustaining racial segregation within religious institutions.

Author

• Julian Lee Culver, Rice University