Scottish Gaelic Society - Survey on the Sense of Community

Introduction

Have you ever completed a questionnaire and wondered what the results of that survey were, but never got to hear about the results?

During the recent Annual General Meeting of the Scottish Gaelic Society on Sunday 4 March 2007, a quick activity was slipped between the formal meeting proceedings and the motivational speaker. The idea of the activity was for members of the Society to consider questions, which would refer back to the Society’s own Sense of Community. Twelve questions were presented and participants completed a prepared questionnaire with their either True or False response to each question. From the twenty-eight questionnaires returned for analysis, twenty-three were complete and valid for analysis. A table of incomplete questionnaires is included near the end of this document. Perhaps the most important outcome from this exercise was that members were asked to consider various questions pertinent to the functioning of their Society. Thanks to those members who participated in the questionnaire!

Have you ever wondered how the members of the Scottish Gaelic Society of Victoria see their Society? And, have you wondered how the Society views its members? What is the “glue’ that holds the Society together. The Scottish Gaelic Society has quite a strong membership. It supports a weekly language class and a choir, which practises weekly and performs in the broader community, as well as organises ceilidhs for its members once a month almost each month of the year. Could there be opportunities to consolidate the functioning of the Scottish Gaelic Society?

The results from the twenty-three valid questionnaires are summarised here for the interest of the members of the Society. The rules for obtaining the appropriate scores are spelt out in the references below. The reference to “Society” in this article refers to the Scottish Gaelic Society of Victoria.

The overall surveyed “Sense of Community Index” was 71%

The four aspects of Sense of Community are discussed briefly. (These are just one interpretation of the four aspects. Technical aspects of the four aspects of Sense of Community are discussed in the source, referenced below.)

 1          67% of the respondents showed that the ‘Membership’ is important to them

Membership represents how the Society distinguishes those who are in the Society from those who are not in the Society. It also is a measure of how strong the members’ sense of belonging in the Society is. Membership refers to how well individuals are accepted by the Society. It provides a measure of personal investment by individual members have given in the Society. The strength of membership is also how well members recognise the symbol that epitomises the Society (such as a logo).

The Society does not have many requirements of its members in order for them to belong. Although most members live and work in Melbourne and its suburbs, the Society membership is far flung about the State of Victoria. Could it be worth considering a re-issue of the Society’s badge for members?

2          72% of the respondents considered that how members’ actions ‘Influence’ others is important to them

Influence refers to how members must feel empowered by the Society. On the other hand influence refers to the cohesiveness of the group, depending on the Society having some influence over its members. People, who acknowledge that others’ needs, values and opinions matter to them, are often the most influential Society members. “Trust” is the most important ingredient of Influence.

The Society continues to work at the balance of empowering members whilst exerting some positive influence over its members as well.

3          54% of the respondents recognise that Society members prefer to be similar to other members, - so-called ‘Reinforcement of Needs’

Integration, reinforcement and fulfilment of needs depend on that which is desired and valued. For example, members of the Society have to be rewarded in various ways for their participation (eg status of being a member or, benefits that might flow from the works of other members). Pursuing “shared values” can give positive-definite direction to the group.  If members can acknowledge others’ interdependence and there is a willingness to maintain this interdependence the Society as a whole benefits.

Could there be room for the Society to look at reinforcing “shared values”?

4          89% of the respondents acknowledge that members share 'Emotional Connections’ for all events:  the good, the bad, the hurtful, the happy and the sad - are felt and shared by all

Shared emotional connections are a defining element for true community. A shared history has a role to play. Greater personal interaction increases the likelihood that people will become close to the membership and hence the Society. Quality interactions reinforce this closeness. Ambiguous interactions and unresolved tasks will inhibit group cohesiveness. Important, shared events (such as a crisis) facilitate a group bond. The more one invests time and energy into the Society, the more important the Society becomes to that person. One who has been rewarded by the community feels more attached to that community. If a member is humiliated, she or he feels less attracted to the community. Furthermore, a spiritual bond may be present to some degree in all communities, (for example, the advent of “soul” in the formation of a national black community in USA).

Success in “shared emotional connections” can be attributed to the Society’s activities, such as ceilidhs, choir performances and community activities as well as language class work in a friendly and supportive “team” setting.

Summary

It could be interesting to see how other Societies faired with the Sense of Community Index! For the time being, the results of this survey may point to areas in which the Scottish Gaelic Society is doing well, and other areas where there may be ways in which to improve the performance of the Society in order to fulfil its aims and serve its members better. Considering the hard work, effort and lessons of its past, the Society may find ways to plan for a smoother path forward based on some of the information provide in this survey and similar activities. Let the Society know what you think of the Sense of Community survey results. You are encouraged to contact the Society Committee with your feedback!

The scores for each o the twelve questionnaire items follow. For details of the twelve questions, which make up the Sense of Community and the combinations of the scores, please refer to the document. Sense of Community Index at:

http://www.capablecommunity.com/pubs/SCIndex.PDF

Furthermore, the background source document (containing the method for appreciating the questionnaire results) is the article, Psychological Sense of Community: Theory of McMillan & Chavis (1986), found at:

http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/psych/sense-of-community.html

Hard copies of these articles are available from the author of this note.

Rob Willis

7 July 2007

Scottish Gaelic Society of Victoria – Sense of Community – Scores by Question

Subscales

Scores are based on “Yes” results.

*Scores for Q2, Q6, Q8, Q11 need to be reversed before finalising scoring.

 
Membership = Q4 + Q5 + Q6

Influence = Q7 + Q8 + Q9

Reinforcement of Needs = Q 1 + Q2 + Q3

Shared Emotional Connection = Q10 + Q11 + Q 12

 Summary of Incomplete Responses: