What does this indicator measure?
This indicator attempts to measure civic participation in the Dallas Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) in the realm of social and racial trust between members of the community.
Why is this indicator important?
Civic engagement and social and racial trust are indicative of the levels of social capital existing in a community or area. Social capital is the combined value of social networks and the willingness they have to do things for each other, according to Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone and one of the thought leaders on the concept of social capital. Social capital, according to Putnam, is a critical component of building and maintaining democracy.
How are we doing?
While there are no clear data sources for measuring this indicator, we have located some sources that give broad information regarding civic engagement and social and racial trust in the Dallas PMSA, mainly at the city level for Dallas.
Promoting racial trust at the elected official level
Dallas at the Tipping Point: An Update , published on October 16, 2005, was a follow-up report by The Dallas Morning News to a study conducted by the consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton in conjunction with The Dallas Morning News in April 2004, which indicated that in comparison with other cities its size, Dallas was in decline and performing worse than other cities in the areas of public safety, education, and economic development. Booz Allen Hamilton also published a summary in October 2005 of its findings 1 year after the original report.
Dallas at the Tipping Point: An Update reported the results of a "Guiding Principle Survey," in which Mayor Laura Miller and members of the Dallas City Council were asked to indicate their level of agreement with certain statements. All but one council member participated, and three council members did not answer all of the questions. Three of the questions specifically related to racial trust in the city of Dallas.
- For the statement "The City Council promotes racial harmony in Dallas," the mayor answered "Disagree," while the council's averaged answer was approximately halfway between "Agree" and "Neither agree nor disagree."
- For the statement "The City Council has honest, open and productive discussions about race," the mayor answered "Disagree," while the council's averaged answer was closest to "Neither agree nor disagree."
- For the statement "Racial discord hinders decision-making and slows progress at City Hall," the mayor answered "Agree," while the council's averaged answer was approximately halfway between "Agree" and "Neither agree nor disagree."
A 2005 FBI investigation into municipal corruption and tax credit housing projects influenced social and racial trust in Dallas, especially regarding trust of the elected leadership, when several officials were subpoenaed, leading to accusations of racial conspiracy.
The Dallas at the Tipping Point: An Update staff referred to the 2004 Booz Allen report, which said trust was "absolutely indispensable" in strides to create a strategic city plan, but quoted Rufus Shaw, a political analyst familiar with Dallas' southern sector issues, as saying in regard to the racial trust issues prevalent in the city, "We're as far apart as a city as I've ever seen…There's very little trust, very little belief in the majority community's commitment to the southern sector and to black people."
An SMU political scientist was optimistic, however, and was quoted in The Dallas Morning News update as saying, "Once the clouds clear, I do expect to see an intensity of focus and effort as the mayor and the council try to win back the city's confidence."
Effect of grass-roots organizations on civic engagement and trust
The Community section of the original Dallas at the Tipping Point: A Road Map for Renewal report indicated that while Dallas appeared to have sufficient numbers of grass-roots organizations to draw together the many constituencies in the city, they were more narrowly and inwardly focused than the organizations in comparable cities.
According to the report, Patricia Evridge Hill, a social scientist and author of Dallas: The Making of a Modern City, wrote that the best grass-roots organizations are involved with the community and each other over long periods of time. She indicated that Dallas' grass-roots groups are typically parochial instead of concerned on the citywide level, and therefore are not likely to "develop the credibility and trust needed to produce civic capital, and ultimately shape the government."
Growing Hispanic population and civic engagement and trust
As explored in the Population growth indicator, the Hispanic population is the fastest growing sector in the city of Dallas. An April 2006 article in The Dallas Morning News reports about potential changes in the political arena due to the influx of Hispanic immigration to the Dallas area, including electoral power. The article indicates that a level of mistrust of elected officials exists among many in the immigrant population, even among those who have obtained citizenship and are eligible to vote, a feeling that stems from experiences in their countries of origin and is passed from generation to generation.
Another issue cited is that newly arrived immigrants do not have time to become involved in civic participation because of the overriding concerns about working, paying bills, and taking care of their families.
Several people interviewed in the article stated that education is the key to effectively engaging this segment into Dallas civic life, and that it would take some time due to the rapid population change and lag time between when things such as educational resources are demanded and when they are funded or occur.
Civic engagement and voter participation and volunteerism
Information regarding civic engagement for the Dallas PMSA in the realm of voter participation can be viewed here, and in the realm of volunteerism can be viewed here.