Social determinants of neighborhood attachment

Abstract

The research assesses the relative contribution of social participation and satisfaction with the neighborhood to attachment to the local community or neighborhood. It analyzes the importance of two different sources of community affect on residents’ attachment to their neighborhood. Previous research has focused on subjective social indicators as measures of neighborhood quality, and the establishment of social bonds and interaction as the basis of attachment to the local area of residence. The evidence we present, using multiple regression techniques, shows that both models are important for the assessment of neighborhood attachment. This research indicates that satisfaction with the neighborhood (environmentally and safety‐wise) and local social ties are important predictors of neighborhood attachment. The personal characteristics of race and home ownership are also found to be significant indicators of neighborhood attachment.