Social Capital

Understanding the trust division in Charlotte

Social Capital measures the level of trust between people, people groups, or races.  It is the glue that holds society together.  Both voter participation and crime rates are key indicators of community connectedness and social capital. When communities don’t turn out to vote or feel safe, they have a low level of social capital. Lower social capital is directly associated with lower economic mobility.  As you can see in the map below, there is a low level of social capital in the Crescent (West, North, and East Charlotte). As the church, we are called to be trust-builders in the community.