Having a sense of community belonging is "a feeling that members matter to one another and the group."[1]
People who say they have a strong sense of community also tend to say their health and mental health are very good or excellent.[2]
Indicator
Sense of Community Belonging |
Measure: Sense of Community Belonging across Time and GenderSense of community belonging was captured as part of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Responses were grouped as "Somewhat or Very Strong Sense of Belonging" and "Somewhat or Very Weak Sense of Belonging".[8] Key FindingsFrom 2007 to 2014, the proportion of people 12 years and older who reported their sense of belonging as somewhat or very strong in Wellington County was consistently higher than in Guelph and Ontario. In the most recent years for which data was available (2013/2014), the proportion of people who rated their sense of belonging as somewhat or very strong was similar for Guelph and Wellington and the proportion in both communities was higher than Ontario. More females than males in Guelph, Wellington and Ontario rated their sense of belonging as somewhat or very strong.
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*** Wellington County does not include the City of Guelph in this table. Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Statistics Canada, Annual Content (2007-2014), Ontario Share File distributed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
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*** Wellington County does not include the City of Guelph in this table. Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Statistics Canada, Annual Content (2013-2014), Ontario Share File distributed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Prepared by: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Last updated March 2017. Why is Sense of Community Belonging Important?People who have a sense of community belonging are more likely to be happy,[3] and feel that life is meaningful.[4] An increased sense of belonging has also been linked with the likelihood of making positive behavior changes related to health.[6] Social isolation has negative effects on health.[7] Community participation and connection to others contribute to a sense of belonging.[7] LimitationsSelf-reported information is influenced by response bias and person's ability to accurately remember their past behavious, experiences, and perceptions. Looking for more information?For more information about this measure please download the excel file below. |
Notes
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is a cross-sectional survey that collects information related to health status health care utilization and health determinants for the Canadian population. The CCHS uses probability sampling and is conducted annually by Statistics Canada.
In probability sampling, each person in the sample represents (besides themselves) several other persons in the sample. A sample weight is calculated based on the number of people that that person represents within the population. For example, in a random sample of 1% of the population, each person in the sample would represent 100 persons in the population.[8]
References
[1] McMillan, D. and D. Chavis (1986) Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psycholog (14): 6-23. Ac cited in: Scott, K. (2010). Community Vitality A Report of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. Available at: https://uwaterloo.ca/canadian-index-wellbeing/sites/ca.canadian-index-wellbeing/files/uploads/files/CommunityVitality_DomainReport.sflb_.pdf
[2] Shield, M. (2008) Community belonging and self-perceived health. Health Reports 19 (2): Statistics Canada. Available at: from http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2008/statcan/82-003-X/82-003-XIE2008002.pdf
[3] Davidson, W.B., Cotter, P.R. (1991). The Relationship Between Sense of Community and Subjective Well-Being: A First Look. Journal of Community Psychology 19(3).
[4] Lambert, N.M., Stillman, T.F., Hicks, J.A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R.F., Fincham, F.D. (2013). To Belong is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 39(11). Provo, Utah: Sage
[6] Hystad, P., Carpiano, R.M. (2012) Sense of community-belonging and health-behaviour change in Canada. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (66): 277-283.
[7] Statistics Canada (2016). Community Belonging. Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-229-x/2009001/envir/cob-eng.htm
[8] Statistics Canada (2015). Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component (CCHS). Retrieved from: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3226