Social Capital Quiz

Our social connections are integral to our health and happiness, but connections come in many different forms. A lifelong friendship usually feels different than a casual acquaintance you make at a networking event or a friend you acquire on Facebook.

Yet according to research, we need both weak ties and strong ties in order to build “social capital,” which researchers define as the web of relationships in our life and the tangible and intangible benefits we derive from them.

So how much social capital do you have? Does your capital come from strong bonds to those closest and most obviously similar to you, or from connections to people spanning different backgrounds and circumstances? And in our increasingly wired world, how do your online relationships compare to your offline ones?

The following quiz will help you answer those questions. Based on a scale developed by Dmitri Williams, a professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, it measures the amount—and the sources—of social capital in your life, zeroing in on online vs. offline capital.

This quiz contains a total of 26 questions. The first 20 will measure how much social capital you have, while the last six will help our researchers understand how social capital differs between people. Once you have answered all your questions, you will receive your social capital score along with some more detailed feedback.

Any responses submitted here will never be shared with any organization outside the Greater Good Science Center under any circumstances, ever. All responses are anonymized and only used in aggregate for evaluation purposes.

 
1. When I feel lonely, there are several people offline that I can talk to.
When I feel lonely, there are several people offline that I can talk to.
2. I interact with people online who make me interested in what people unlike me are thinking.
I interact with people online who make me interested in what people around me are thinking.
3. I am willing to spend time to support general online community activities.
I am willing to spend time to support general online community activities.
4. There are people I interact with offline who would help me fight an injustice.
There are people I interact with offline who would help me fight an injustice.
5. I do not know people online well enough to get them to do anything important.
I do not know people online well enough to get them to do anything important.
6. Interacting with people online gives me new people to talk to.
Interacting with people online gives me new people to talk to.
7. If I needed an emergency loan of $500, I know people online I could turn to.
If I needed an emergency loan of $500, I know people online I could turn to.
8. I interact with people offline who remind me that everyone in the world is connected.
I interact with people offline who remind me that everyone in the world is connected.
9. There are people I interact with online who would be good job references for me.
There are people I interact with online who would be good job references for me.
10. I talk to people online who make me curious about other places in the world.
I talk to people online who make me curious about other places in the world.
11. I interact with people offline who make me feel like part of a larger community.
I interact with people offline who make me feel like part of a larger community.
12. There are people offline I can turn to for advice about making very important decisions.
There are people offline I can turn to for advice about making very important decisions.
13. There are several people online I trust to help solve my problems.
There are several people online I trust to help solve my problems.
14. I interact with people offline who make me interested in things that happen outside of my town.
I interact with people offline who make me interested in things that happen outside of my town.
15. There are people I interact with offline who would share their last dollar with me.
There are people I interact with offline who would share their last dollar with me.
16. I interact with people online who make me want to try new things.
I interact with people online who make me want to try new things.
17. There is no one offline with whom I feel comfortable talking about intimate personal problems.
There is no one offline with whom I feel comfortable talking about intimate personal problems.
18. I interact with people offline who make me feel connected to the bigger picture.
I interact with people offline who make me feel connected to the bigger picture.
19. There are people I interact with online who would put their reputation on the line for me.
There are people I interact with online who would put their reputation on the line for me.
20. Offline, I come into contact with new people all the time.
Offline, I come into contact with new people all the time.
21. What is your age?
What is your age?
22. Please select your ethnic background (if you identify with more than one ethnicity, select the one you identify with the most, or select multiethnic).
Please select your ethnic background (if you identify with more than one ethnicity, select the one you identify with the most, or select multiethnic).
23. What describes your highest level of education?
What describes your highest level of education?
24. Which best describes the neighborhood in which you live?
Which best describes the neighborhood in which you live?
25. What is your geographic location (in the U.S., unless otherwise indicated)?
What is your geographic location (in the U.S., unless otherwise indicated)?
26. How would you describe your political views?
How would you describe your political views?