Abstract

SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS IN A SMALL CITY

“Boulder, Colorado, has 268 adult social organizations, which is a relatively large number when compared with other places. Yet 29 per cent of adults do not belong to any social group, while the remaining 7I per cent have joined from one to sixteen social groups. Notwithstanding the number of societies, attendance is good. In the total membership, women exceed men in the ratio of 3 to 2, and they attend more frequently than men, which implies that there is no overorganization. Judging from both membership and attendance, popular interest centers on religious and educational societies, followed closely by social and recreational. The luncheon clubs have the highest attendance record. There appears to be a shift of interest from fraternal organizations to other groups and other activities. That such a large percentage of the population probably lacks adequate social life presents a major social problem.” (Bushee, 1945).

Let’s Break This Down

• When was this article written?
• What is the sample?
• 71% of adults belong to a social group
• Of those, they’ve joined from 1 – 16 social groups
• Is the subject (person) of the same mentality that has joined 1 group as that person who has joined 16 groups?
• “Attendance is good”
• Name another institution where people may say they “belong” to it but do not really attend often
• Women exceed men on a 3:2 ratio
• Why might this be true?
• The most popular social organizations: religious and educational groups
• Do those results surprise you?
• Why is America based on such types of groups?
• The second most popular social organizations are social and recreational
• Name some social and recreational groups
• Why are these less popular than educational/religious?
• Who is most likely to participate in each of these groups (men, women, children, elderly, etc.)
• Religious
• Educational
• Social
• Recreational
• Conclusion sentence: Lacking a social life is a major problem
• Do you agree?
• As Americans, with our Twitter and iPhone at hand, are we becoming less social?