Examining the Role of Communication Activities in Perceived Collective Efficacy and Neighborhood Violence

Abstract

This study examines two communication-based sources of neighborhood collective efficacy: communication ties with neighbors and local media use. Data from a Web survey of Chicago residents reveal that communication characterized by weak and strong ties has a positive association with perceived collective efficacy. Data also show a positive link between attention to neighborhood social news and perceived collective efficacy. Weak- and strong-tie communication and attention to neighborhood social news also have indirect negative relationships with perceived violence in the neighborhood through perceived collective efficacy. Implications are discussed for the role of interpersonal and mediated communication in neighborhood safety.