Talking Builds a Sense of Community, Study Finds
A USC study, inspired by the 1992 riots and released Monday, examined how a group of 1,800 Southern California residents communicate and found that “good old-fashioned” chats with neighbors are the surest way to build a sense of community, researchers said.
“This study is the first of its kind to approach the question of community and a sense of belonging to a community from a communications perspective,” said Elizabeth Daley, dean of the USC School of Cinema-Television.
In the aftermath of the riots, Daley said, researchers wanted to know what role communication plays in building a sense of community in a city like Los Angeles.
Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach, the lead investigator for the study, said that even in this Internet age, talking to neighbors is important.
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