Social Networks and Social Capital: the Careers of Political Activists, 2000-2002

This mixed methods study is one of 21 projects that were commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of its Democracy and Participation Programme. The project involved three components. The first component was to examine the determinants of political involvement and activism in a range of voluntary associations as indicated by the British Household Panel Study. The second component was to carry out questionnaire research on members of four different social movement organisations, namely selected branches of the Labour Party, conservation movement, environmental movement, and a local residents' group in the Manchester area. A postal survey examined the socio-demographic characteristics of members of the case study organisations, and in-depth interviews with members from three organisations (not the residents' association) examined the social networks of members. Here the aim was to examine the extent to which members knew each other, the contexts in which they communicated with other members, and the relationship between intra-organisational networks and other networks of respondents (e.g. based on leisure pursuits, work, etc.) The third phase of the research involved carrying out in-depth interviews with 30 selected activists (29 interviews held at UKDA) from the case study organisation, so allowing the development of activist identities to be examined. <br> <br> The findings permit examination of the nature of social capital in Great Britain by considering how the social networks of members make membership more or less exclusive.<br>