Belonging to an organisation could prevent premature death and add quality to life, according to visiting Harvard Professor for Public Policy Robert Putnam.
Yet research shows most forms of community engagement, ranging from service club membership to picnics with family and friends, have been declining in the USA for the past 30 years.
If the trend continues, he says, it will have a devastating impact on the community.
About 700 people packed Professor Putnam's only public appearance in Brisbane last week [September 11] to hear the research outlined in Bowling alone, a book based on nearly half a million interviews conducted over a quarter of a century.
The Symposium, which also included a panel discussion and round table for community, government and academic leaders, was organised by the UQ Ipswich Community Service and Research Centre (CSRC), part of the University of Queensland's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Professor Putnam identifies two kinds of social capital. Bonding capital is created out of relationships with family, friends and neighbours. Bridging capital is created via links with the wider business and political communities.
The latter builds community trust - and Professor Putnam says this is declining at an alarming rate, particularly among young people.
CSRC Associate Director and Symposium convenor Dr Geoff Woolcock said Professor Putnam's visit had highlighted lots of critical issues.
"Our Centre's work primarily focuses on building the social capital of local communities, and some of the things which bind communities together - like trust - can't always be measured in dollars and cents," Dr Woolcock said.
For more information, contact Ashley Jones, CSRC (telephone 0412 104 491 or 07 3381 1542, email ashley.jones@mailbox.uq.edu.au) or Moya Pennell, UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2846)
