The effects of personal and social ties on satisfaction and perceived strain in changing neighborhoods

Abstract

The relationship between changing neighborhood composition, social ties, and perceived neighborhood satisfaction was examined in a survey of residential districts which had experienced significant increases in student occupancy. Interviews were conducted with 233 nonstudent female respondents, ages 19–90, median age 60, residing in districts near a large university, concerning awareness of neighborhood characteristics, neighborhood satisfaction, and social and community contacts. Objective data concerning neighborhood demographic characteristics were obtained from the 1970 census and from a city directory. Results indicated that while respondents were able to perceive accurately the changing characteristics of their neighborhoods, awareness of neighborhood problems was not directly related to satisfaction. The best predictors of neighborhood satisfaction were indices of personal and social ties; e.g., friends in the neighborhood, and the companionship of a retired spouse. The findings were related to the growing literature on the importance of support networks.