Section Three: Measurement and Evaluation of Social Capital

Tools for Measuring Social Capital

Tools for Quantitative Study

Measurement Tools Designed by Overseas Organisations/Scholars

Name of Measurement Tool	Content and Advantages	Limitations
An integrated questionnaire for measuring social capital (World Bank, Grootaert et al., 2004)	Mainly focusing on measuring bonding and bridging social capital in different groups, organisations or networks at an individual level.	Mainly adopted in developing countries. Some questions do not apply to Hong Kong.
The Lubben Social Network Scale (Lubben, 1988)	Used specifically in measuring social networks.	Only measures social networks but does not comprehensively measure social capital.
Social Network Index (Cohen et al., 1997)	Used specifically in measuring social networks.	Only measures social networks but does not comprehensively measure social capital.
Social Capital Questionnaire (Onyx & Bullen, 2000)	The tool was used to assess the social capital development of residents in five Australian communities.	Due to cultural differences, some questions do not apply to Hong Kong.
Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16) (Wang et al., 2014)	Used in measuring individual social capital, including bonding and bridging social capital.	Only measures social capital at the individual level, with a lack of analysis of social capital at the community level.

Measurement Tools Designed by the CIIF

The CIIF has always attached great importance to the project teams’ experience in building social capital. It hopes to conduct evidence-based evaluation of project effectiveness and summarise the local experience in implementing social capital for reference by organisations/ groups interested in social capital development. Over the years, the CIIF has developed various measurement tools with regard to different areas of social capital development.

Name of Measurement Tool	Content	Check Here to Download the Measurement Tools
Social Capital Scale (Individual Level)	In order to effectively assess the social capital outcomes achieved by the projects and save the project teams’ time in designing the tools, the CIIF devised a local “Social Capital Scale” in 2012 by making reference to the World Bank’s definition of social capital, the tools used in the second the CIIF evaluation study, and the implementation experience of funded projects. After validation of the Scale in 2013, all funded projects are required to fill in the “Social Capital Scale”. The Scale consists of six core social capital dimensions, namely “social networks”, “mutual-help and reciprocity”, “trust and solidarity”, “social cohesion and inclusion”, “social participation”, as well as “information and communication”.	PDF Format PDF Format
Questionnaire on Sustainable Development of Social Capital (Project Level)	After the funding period, the CIIF focuses on whether the funded projects could continue to further the achievements of social capital, such as value change and role transformation of the participants, as well as social capital outcomes like the sustainable development of cross-sectoral collaboration, complementarity, trust, cohesion, support networks and community capacity. Financial sustainability, that is, whether the project can continue to receive funding or operate on a self-financing basis, is not the major consideration for assessing the sustainability of social capital projects. To assess in a more systematic manner whether the funded projects could sustain the social capital built after the funding period, the CIIF devised a Questionnaire on "Sustainable Development of Social Capital” by making reference to the results of the effectiveness evaluation conducted by independent consultants from 2010 to 2012. The questionnaire covers four major areas, including 1) the latest development of social capital established by projects, including social network, trust and solidarity, mutual-help and reciprocity, social cohesion and inclusion, social participation as well as information and communication; 2) the overall operation of the projects after the funding period; 3) key factors of the projects can/cannot sustainably develop; and 4) difficulties and challenges in implementing the sustainable development plan.	PDF Format (Chinese version only)
Social Capital Development Assessment Form (For Corporates or Organisations)	To recognise groups/organisations that have contributed to the development of social capital in Hong Kong, the CIIF has organised the biennial Social Capital Builders Award since 2012 for various community sectors to witness and share the achievements in building social capital in Hong Kong. To evaluate the effectiveness of social capital development contributed by "Corporates or Organisations" participating in the SCB Awards, the CIIF designed a Social Capital Development Assessment Form in 2015 and 2018 with reference to the characteristics of social capital development in various sectors. The assessment covers six core social capital dimensions, and each dimension contains four development stages.	PDF Format
Social Capital Development Assessment Form (For Social Service Agencies)		PDF Format

Qualitative Research Tools

Qualitative research aims to obtain a deep understanding of people's experiences, attitudes, behaviours, and interactions, thereby revealing the complex aspects of the concept of social capital. These tools include but are not limited to the following:

• In-depth Interviews
  In-depth interviews are one-on-one interviews that can be open-ended, semi-structured, or structured, allowing researchers to explore the interviewee's perspectives deeply. This method is particularly suitable for exploring individuals' understanding of social capital and how they utilise it within their social networks (Rubin & Rubin, 2011).


• Focus Groups
  Focus groups are discussion meetings of specific people recruited by the researcher to explore a particular topic. Exploring social capital through focus groups helps reveal interactions and collective consciousness among community members, providing a group-level perspective of social capital (Morgan, 1996). This research method is conducive in gaining a deeper understanding of the impact of social capital on group interactions and provides different viewpoints to study the development of social capital.


• Ethnography
  Ethnography involves long-term observation within a specific social setting. This research method helps deeply explore the formation and operation of social capital in daily life (Case et al., 2014). Through ethnography, researchers may observe and record the manifestations and effects of social capital in different contexts. This continuous observation method allows researchers to understand more comprehensively the differences of social capital in the daily lives of community members.

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