Social change and social participation in a planned city : the case of Canberra

Abstract

This thesis investigates social networks and social support in Canberra. More specifically, the study addresses two main areas of interest. First, particular attention is given to the pattern of social networks and social support formed in the city and its variations among four study areas. Second, the study focusses on the effect of occupational and residential mobility on social networks and social suppon. To gather empirical evidence on these issues, a sample survey of 394 women in four study areas of Canberra was conducted in 1986-1987. The analyses of these data yielded the following chief findings in relation to the two questions: 1. Residents in Canberra led a more sociable life than had been generally assumed. They associated with neighbours or friends more frequently than with relatives. 2. All things considered, residents in Canberra did not have good access to primary group support. Nevertheless, relatives were the most important primary group, especially in dealing with long-term problems. Neighbours were a significant source of support in short-term situations. 3. Disruptive effects of occupational mobility were found in relation to very limited types of social relationships. 4. In terms of social interaction, a decline of neighbourhood relationships was offset by the development of kinship and friendship relationships in the course of time in Canberra. With regard to social support, only the anticipation of social support from relatives increased with the length of time in Canberra. The pattern of social networks and social support in Canberra was assessed from the three perspectives of the "Community Question", into which Wellman (Wellman, 1979; Wellman and Leighton, 1979) integrated and summarised previous arguments on social networks and social support. These were "Community Lost", "Community Saved" and "Community Liberated". While the Canberra community fitted in with the "Community Liberated" perspective with regard to social networks, it was consistent with the "Community Saved" perspective in connection with social support. The thesis concludes from findings 3 and 4 above that occupational and residential mobility did not disrupt or weaken social relationships to a great extent, so that people accommodated themselves successfully to new social circumstances. Compared with occupational and residential mobility, the presence of local relatives and the stage of the life cycle were major forces affecting informal social participation. Particularly, the presence of local relatives stood out as being the most influential factor; living near relatives greatly increased the likelihood of developing kinship interaction and social support from relatives. Implications of these findings were also discussed. Show more