Putting things into context - importance of understanding the context in which people live - Editorial

American Demographics, Feb, 1997 by Diane Crispell

None of us functions in a vacuum. The fact that we are of a certain age, marital status, and occupation says something about who we are, but so do the places where we live and work, as well as the people and institutions we encounter. "How to Build Strong Home Towns" (page 42) demonstrates the latest rage in demographic research -- contextual analyses that look at both individual and community-level factors that affect people's attitudes and behavior.

Home towns are more than a collection of people living in private households. They are a collection of social groups housed within a physical environment. Michael Irwin and colleagues find that towns with lots of small businesses and social organizations do a better job of hanging on to residents.

External expectations have a great deal to do with how and why we do or don't tip people (page 50). Differences in life experience may explain why women and men tip in different ways, but so do the complexities of social obligation. In sum, women appear to be more motivated than men by the tippee's needs or wishes, while men seem more motivated by the benefits they might derive. it's hard to know whether these differences are due to personal or societal characteristics since the two are so intertwined when it comes to gender roles.

Most of us might first think about how society affects us, but the reverse is just as important. Small businesses and civic associations that encourage people to stay put reap the benefits of a stable and loyal consumer base.

People with more education are more likely to move long distances, creating the impression that they are less civically engaged. However, the number of voluntary groups to which people belong rises steadily with education, according to the General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center. This suggests that a better-educated population is a potentially more involved population, even if it's more transient.

Americans' increasing educational attainment could be increasing their capacity to simultaneously manage a variety of relationships at different levels, even in the face of information overload. Whether or not they actually do so, however, is up to the businesses and organizations that seek them out. In the eagerness to understand customers, donors, and others, keep in mind that people belong to groups other than the one through which we are connected to them. These groups may either compete for our time and attention or enhance our relationships. Unless we understand the dynamics of individuals versus organizations, we won't know which.