Social Ties at the Neighborhood Level

Using the General Social Survey, the authors analyze trends in socializing with neighbors and with friends outside the neighborhood from 1974 to 1996. Consistent with arguments about a declining attachment to neighborhood, results show a linear trend toward less socializing within the neighborhood and more outside it. In addition, the data suggest that people are increasingly specializing in either neighborhood or extra neighborhood social ties. However, the evidence for less neighborhood socializing is slight. Also, inconsistent with some claims about neighborhoods, only mild evidence suggests that socializing at the neighborhood level is becoming more selective of certain social groups.