State University

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State University Higher School of
EconomicsAlexander Tatarko

• A Study of Perceived SocialCapital in a
  Multicultural Society the Case of Russia

(Moscow, Russia)
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• The aim of this research is to examine how social
  capital is related to individuals economic
  attitudes within Russias different ethnic
  groups.
• Inasmuch as social capital, in this study, was
  conceived at the societal (macro) level, we chose
  to measure it using the following indicators
• Trust
• Tolerance towards out-group members
• Civil Identity.

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Table 1. Sample Composition in the Study of
Social Capital of Members of Different Ethnic
Groups in Russia
Ethnic group N Age (median) males/females
Russian 226 27,7 80/146
Chechen 106 38 34/72
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QuestionnairePart 1. Social capital

• 1. Trust Level. This indicator was an arithmetic
  mean of two questions aimed to appraise
  individuals general trust/mistrust of people.
  The questions were taken from the World Values
  Survey questionnaire.
• 2. Civil Identity Indicators. Two civil-identity
  characteristics were measured on a 5-score scale
  
• 2.1. Saliency of Civil Identity. The respondents
  were to answer the question To what extent do
  you feel you are a member of your State? using a
  5-score scale.
• 2.2. Valence (positivity level) of Civil
  Identity. The respondents were to answer the
  question What kind of sensation evokes with you
  the awareness that you are a citizen of your
  State (Russian Federation)? choosing among the
  following five answers (1) a sense of pride (2)
  a sense of calm confidence (3) a sense of
  indifference (4) a sense of injury (5) a sense
  of humiliation.
• Those options were then given the following coded
  scores 5 sense of pride, 4 sense of calm
  confidence, 3 sense of indifference, 2 sense
  of injury, 1 sense of humiliation.

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QuestionnairePart 1. Social capital

• 3. Tolerance towards out-group members. This
  indicator was calculated as an arithmetic mean of
  four questions allowing one to appraise the
  respondents tolerance in several dimensions.

How do the people of your acquaintance feel about people belonging to Hate them Are irritated by them Are indifferent Are tolerant of them Full-heartedly accept them
Ethnic minorities 1 2 3 4 5
Other religious faiths 1 2 3 4 5
Sexual minorities 1 2 3 4 5
Differently minded people (politically) 1 2 3 4 5
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QuestionnairePart 2. Economic Attitudes

• 4. Attitudes concerning economic realities,
  economic notions. A questionnaire was used
  comprising 14 questions allowing one to appraise
  the respondents attitudes to economic realities.
  Answers to the questions were given based on a
  five-score system and were combined into the
  following three scales
• - Interest in the economic affairs a0,8
  (questions such as To what extent are you
  interested in the state of affairs in our
  countrys economy?, How often do you watch
  programs about our countrys economic policies in
  the mass media?)
• - The importance of money and property a0,7
  (questions such as How important is money for
  you, do you think?, Will you please appraise
  the extent to which you desire to own property
  such as a flat, a bank account, stocks, etc.?)
• - Willingness to take an economic risk a0,8
  (questions such as Will you please appraise the
  extent of your willingness to take an economic
  risk in order to increase your income?, Will
  you please appraise the level of economic risk
  you consider to be optimal for you?).
• 5. Satisfaction with ones material condition.
  The respondents were asked to agree or disagree
  with the statement I am satisfied with my level
  of material wellbeing on a 7-score scale, from
  disagree to fully agree.

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Table 1. The Significance of Differences in
Social Capital Indicators for Russians and
Chechens according to Students T-Test
Trust Level Tolerance towards out-group members Saliency of Civil Identity Valence (positivity level) of Civil Identity
Russian 2,5 3,3 3,7 4,0
Chechen 2,5 3,0 3,4 3,5
t -0,14 3,3 1,9 2,7
? 0,88 0,001 0,05 0,007
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Table 2. The Significance of Differences in
Economic Attitudes between Russians and Chechens
according to Students T-Test
Interest in the economic affairs The importance of money and property Willingness to take an economic risk Satisfaction with ones material condition
Russian 3,1 3,7 3,0 3,0
Chechen 3,2 3,8 2,9 2,7
t -1,1 -0,64 0,52 1,7
? 0,24 0,52 0,58 0,09
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Table 3. The Social Capital Indicators in
relation to the Indicators of Economic Attitudes
in the Russian Sample (N226)
Trust Level Tolerance towards out-group members Saliency of Civil Identity Valence (positivity level) of Civil Identity
Interest in the economic affairs 0,15 0,049 0,13 0,16
The importance of money and property 0,028 -0,15 0,21 0,060
Willingness to take an economic risk 0,105 0,13 0,16
Satisfaction with ones material condition 0,096 0,21 0,14 0,119

• Note ?lt0.05 ?lt0.01 ?lt0.001

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Table 4. The Social Capital Indicators in
relation to the Indicators of Economic Attitudes
in the Chechen Sample (N106)
Trust Level Tolerance towards out-group members Saliency of Civil Identity Valence (positivity level) of Civil Identity
Interest in the economic affairs 0,40 0,21 0,013 0,123
The importance of money and property 0,135 0,148 0,094 0,083
Willingness to take an economic risk 0,17 0,16 0,002 0,105
Satisfaction with ones material condition 0,043 -0,131 0,114 0,061

• Note ?lt0.05 ?lt0.01 ?lt0.001

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• To evaluate the perceived social capital of
  various social institutions a modified semantic
  differential was used.
• We developed a modification of the semantic
  differential enabling us to reconstruct a group
  structure of notions about the social capital
  levels of various institutions. The technique
  involves the use of a semantic differential whose
  scales correspond to the principal components of
  social capital trust, social cohesion,
  tolerance, and civil identity. The respondents
  were asked to evaluate on a scale 19
  social/societal institutions in conformity with
  six basic spheres of social/societal interaction
  (from the family and friends up to international
  institutions).
• The results of scale-scoring evaluation were
  processed then using a standard procedure the
  results were subjected to factor analysis, the
  revealed factors were named, the factor weights
  of scale-scoring evaluation objects (various
  institutions) were calculated then the
  scale-scoring evaluation objects, in conformity
  with their weights, were placed in the spaces of
  the revealed factors which were given names.

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Figure 1. Semantic Space Delineating the
Evaluation of Social Capital by the Russians in
the Russian Federation
Factor 2 Social support
I
III
Factor 1 Value of a particular individual
II
IV
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Figure 2. Semantic Space Delineating the
Evaluation of Social Capital by the Chechens in
the Russian Federation
Factor 2 Social support
I
III
Factor 1 Value of a particular individual
II
IV
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CONCLUSIONS

• 1. The Russians social capital indicators differ
  from those of the Chechens. If the level of
  trust with members of the two groups is similarly
  low, the indicators of tolerance to out-groups
  and the indicators of civil identity salience and
  positivity are higher with the Russians.
• 2. The social capital of both ethnic groups
  correlates with the economic attitudes and
  notions. The correlations are positive, i.e. the
  social capital is related positively to interest
  in the economic affairs, the importance of
  money and property, willingness to take an
  economic risk, and satisfaction with material
  conditions.
• 3. The revealed correlations have similarities as
  well as differences. The similarity lies in the
  fact that in both ethnic groups the level of
  trust correlates positively with interest in the
  economic affairs. The difference consists in the
  fact that, with the Russians, civil identity
  measurements are related to the economic
  attitudes and notions but with the Chechens they
  are not related at all.
• 4. We assume that the differences in civil
  identity should manifest themselves in different
  attitudes towards the countrys social
  institutions. A negative perception of social
  institutions breaks off a connection between
  the social capital and economic activity of
  citizens. This was graphically shown in our
  comparing the Chechens with the Russians.