Television adoption reduced community participation across age groups

Evidence

Robert Putnam in his account of solitude in America, Bowling Alone, correlated the rise in TV viewing particularly with a massive drop, sometimes on the order of 50 percent, in community activities and civic participation. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 448 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Television privatizes leisure and thereby erodes community social capital — Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining…, 67; Television creates a false intimacy that substitutes for real community engagement — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 837; Television privaatizes leisure even in group settings meant for sociability — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 849 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Rising TV viewing correlates with a large decline in civic participation #corroborates (0.95) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 448
• The television generation accounts for 10-15 percent of the group participation decline #expands (0.92)