Social Capital and Disasters: A Study of Post-Hurricane Behavior & Attitudes in the United States

This thesis examines what effect disasters have on social capital. Given the ambiguity in the literature on the relationship between social capital and disasters, it is important to study this intersection further. This relationship is analyzed through a quantitative inquiry of Hurricane Irene (2011), Hurricane Sandy (2012), and Hurricane Matthew (2016) in the US as well as a qualitative case study from news sources in Hoboken, NJ following Hurricane Sandy. I break down social capital into attitudinal and behavioral components. My findings suggest that social capital generally increases following hurricanes. What is notable about these findings is that not all components of social capital reacted uniformly, with formal membership in civil society groups declining overall. There was evidence in the case study to suggest that this trend was offset by informal group behavior and effective government, business, and philanthropic aid. My findings demonstrate that both informal groups and governmental aid can promote post-disaster social capital