Feeling Part of the Place: Neighbourhood Attachment and Community Involvement Among Young People / Sentirse parte del lugar: apego al barrio e implicación comunitaria en jóvenes

The aim of this study is to analyse the role of place attachment in young people’s community involvement compared to community satisfaction and social trust. The hypothesis put forward is that place attachment will have greater relevance in explaining community involvement than community satisfaction and social trust. A total of 243 young individuals responded to a questionnaire that included items about social participation, place attachment, satisfaction with community resources and social trust. In the structural model tested, which obtained an adequate fit, the latent variable Community Involvement, encompassing Individual Participation in the Neighbourhood, Community Participation in the Neighbourhood, Neighbourhood Civic Participation and Individual Civic Participation, was significantly predicted by Place Attachment and Social Trust. Community Satisfaction showed a positive but not significant association. The three variables explained 73.4% of the variance in Community Involvement. These results highlight the role of emotional ties to a place and social trust in promoting community engagement among young people.