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The NRN Survey

Belonging & Social Cohesion in Needham

Nichole Argo, PhD

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Belonging is tied to critical life outcomes in…

Health

General & mental health
Life satisfaction
Decreased pain
Stress and loneliness

Workplace

Increased retention
Willingness to recommend one’s job

Local community

Satisfaction
Trust
Civic engagement
Decreased feelings of marginalization amidst change
More openness to diversity

Democracy

Greater satisfaction with life in the US
Increased support for democracy

Why do we care about belonging?

Source: The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America

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“…belonging is the thing that unlocks the best in

everyone. Kids who feel they belong learn better in

school. Elders with a sense of belonging stay

healthy and aware. Immigrants who belong thrive in

their new communities. Having a sense of

belonging leads to flourishing in every environment

and group, big and small, from your home to the

culture at large.”

Suzie Wise, Design for Belonging (2021)

What do we mean by belonging?

Belonging is about “fit.”

Source: The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America

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What do we mean by belonging?

Social connection
Psychological safety
Co-creation

Source: The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America

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A majority of Americans report non-belonging in the workplace (64%), the nation (68%), and their local community (74%).
Diversity & belonging are interdependent.

More diverse friendship networks are associated with more friendship belonging
Higher friendship belonging is associated with more civic engagement…!
Higher levels of local belonging are associated with fewer feelings of marginalization (“feel like a stranger” + “with all the change, fear I/my family will be left behind”), more openness to people across difference.

What factors are associated with belonging?

Socioeconomic status (more status, more belonging), age (older, more belonging), gender (non-binary/”other”, less belonging), feeling treated as ‘less than’ in local interactions (less belonging).
Note: Race, Religion, National origin, Urbanicity are correlated with local belonging in this national sample, but lose significance once socioeconomic status is added to the model.

Key Findings from a national study:

The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America

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Purpose: To assess our community’s sense of belonging & social cohesion, provide a baseline to measure growth

Method:

N=536, data collected by POLCO from Aug-Oct, 2022
Locally representative survey (postcards sent to 4,500 households, selected at random + NRN outreach)
Post-hoc weighting (gender, race, age)

Needham Survey Purpose

& Method

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General

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Compared to a national sample, Needhamites are…

More healthy Less lonely

Less → Lonely

Less stressed

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Belonging

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n

White Needhamites exceed the national average for overall belonging

Non-white Needhamites report significantly less belonging than white Needhamites.

Factors associated with belonging in Needham include:

having a homogenous social network ( less belonging; and,
Being a racial minority (less belonging).
Model also included: SES, age, years in town, national origin,district

Similar for Connection and Co-Creation.For Psychological Safety, race not significant, years in Needham is.

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Neighborhood satisfaction

*

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Community Satisfaction

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n

Neighborhood Satisfaction

Needham exceeds the national average for neighborhood satisfaction

Non-white Needhamites report significantly less neighborhood satisfaction than white Needhamites (p=.009).

Factors associated:

Belonging.
Other factors in the model that were not significant: SES, race, age, years in neighborhood, district, stress, disability, diversity of network

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n

Satisfaction with Needham

Needham exceeds the national average for community satisfaction

Non-white Needhamites report less community satisfaction than white Needhamites (not statistically significant).

Factors associated with local satisfaction:

Belonging and race.
Other factors in the model that were not significant: SES, age, years in neighborhood, district, stress, disability, diversity of network

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Attitudes

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n

Needham exceeds the national average.

Non-white Needhamites are significantly more likely to “feel like a stranger” due to local change.

Why?

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n

Needham exceeds the national average when it comes to being open to demographic change.

Within Needham, there are no significant differences by race.

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Questions

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Small Group Breakout

5 minutes per question

Please take notes

F

Q1: What was striking or surprising to you from today’s presentation?

Q2: Based on the data from tonight, what are some of the social cohesion strengths we’re seeing in Needham?

Q3: Based on the data from tonight, which themes stand out to you as potential growth edges, or areas of inequity?

Q4: What are some potential strategies / projects / initiatives that could support belonging and social cohesion in Needham?