Dissertation
SMILING FACES, SUPPORTING PLACES: A SPATIAL EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL INFRASTRCTURE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004613
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/118753
Abstract
Social support is the emotional, instrumental, appraisal, and informational support that is associated with beneficial life outcomes. In the past forty years there has been a shift in the social support seen by sociologists from extended lasting ties to brief disposable ties. This project evaluates how social support differs based on places (neighborhoods). The Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LA FANS) and geospatial data are combined to understand how important neighborhood is in developing social support relationships. The idea of social infrastructure (locations we utilize to engage in social behaviors) is explored and evaluated as it relates to social support. This is done by first spatially examining the study site (Los Angeles) in detail to provide context for how the city functions and is organized. Next, the information from this spatial analysis is used to develop a multilevel analysis of neighborhood influences on social support. Concentrated disadvantage, immigration concentration, and density levels are explored as influences on social support. Further, social infrastructure counts in the neighborhood, and counts within a mile radius of the neighborhood, are explored as predictors of social support outcomes. The results of this study suggest that concentrated disadvantage and non-citizen population are both negatively associated with social support experiences. Despite theoretical assumptions, social infrastructure and urban density do not show any significant relationship to social support. The concentrated disadvantage finding aligns with sociological literature on the topic. In contrast, the non-citizen finding adds to a growing literature on whether immigrants experience more social support. The results of this study suggest that different immigrant groups (citizen vs. non-citizen) experience different levels of social support. This project concludes with an evaluation of these findings and suggestions for policymakers and sociologists moving forward.
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Details
- Title
- SMILING FACES, SUPPORTING PLACES
- Creators
- Aleksey Reshetnikov
- Contributors
- Jennifer Sherman (Advisor)Justin T. Denney (Committee Member)Thomas Rotolo (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 173
- Identifiers
- 99900901438401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation