ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE AND THE DEGREE OF THREE DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL

This study works on four major variables. The variables are preference of religion and three dimensions of social capital: bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. The aim is to investigate the associations between preference of religion and three dimensions of social capital, in particular among the urban poor of Kelompok Swadaya Masyarakat in Surakarta, Indonesia. The study touched on identifying the discovery of the degree of three dimensions of social capital and the discovery of reasons provided by the respondents on their state of social capital. The hypotheses employed were there are significant associations between preference of religion and bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Hence, from this notion, reasons for the state of social capital could be learnt from the past experiences of the particular group. In the investigation, triangulation research methods were used to answer the research questions. In the process, survey research method was used to investigate the patterns of existing social capital, and to justify the formulated three hypotheses. Statistical tests on chi square analysis were manipulated to test the hypotheses. Secondly, field research in the form of observation, interviews, and focus group discussion were carried out to discover the pattern of social capital, and the reasons articulated by the respondents on their state and the practice of social capital. The findings of the study thus showed that the degree of social capital tends to associated with the individual characteristics, namely the preference of religion. The result of the field finding indicated that the respondents‟ degree of social capital vary according to their religious preference.