Sense of Community Index (SCI)

Abstract

The Sense of Community Index (SCI) is a widely utilized, brief self-report instrument designed to measure an individual’s subjective psychological sense of belonging and connection within a defined community setting. The scale operationalizes the theoretical model of community developed by McMillan and Chavis, assessing four core dimensions: membership, influence, reinforcement of needs, and shared emotional connection.

Originally developed for use in neighborhood and urban settings, the SCI consists of twelve true-false questions, making it highly efficient for evaluation and research purposes across diverse populations.

Keywords

Sense of Community, Community Psychology, Social Connectedness, Neighborhood Cohesion, Membership, Influence, Reinforcement of Needs, Shared Emotional Connection, Urban Studies, Peer Relationships, Personal Attitudes and Beliefs.

Authors

Dr. David M. Chavis.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sense of Community Index is to quantify the strength and quality of the subjective bond an individual feels toward their immediate social environment or geographic collective, such as a neighborhood or organization. It serves as a diagnostic tool for community practitioners and researchers to evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at fostering social capital and strengthening local ties.

By measuring the four core dimensions, the SCI provides granular insight into which aspects of community life (e.g., belonging versus collective efficacy) are most salient or deficient for respondents, guiding targeted community development strategies.

Construct

The SCI measures the construct of psychological sense of community, which is defined as the feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be together. This construct is fundamental to community psychology.

The four empirically derived dimensions measured by the instrument are:

• Membership: Feelings of belonging, personal investment, and identification with the community.
• Influence: The perceived bidirectional relationship between the individual and the community (i.e., members feel they can influence the community, and the community can influence its members).
• Reinforcement of Needs: The extent to which the community serves as a mechanism for meeting individual needs and reinforcing shared values.
• Shared Emotional Connection: The quality and history of shared events and experiences, leading to strong, durable bonds among members.

Validity

While specific psychometric scores (e.g., Confirmatory Factor Factor Analysis results) are not provided in the source material, the SCI is renowned for its strong conceptual validity, as its structure directly reflects the established theoretical model of community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Subsequent research using the SCI and its revised versions (e.g., SCI-2) has generally supported its construct validity, demonstrating that the four dimensions are distinct yet interrelated aspects of the overall sense of community concept.

The scale has been widely adopted in academic research, suggesting a high degree of face and content validity in measuring neighborhood attachment and collective well-being in diverse cultural and geographical contexts.

Reliability

The original SCI, being a brief, dichotomous-response scale, has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (reliability) in numerous studies, though reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s alpha) tend to be lower than those found in longer, Likert-type scales. The reliability is often evaluated both for the total score and for the four individual subscales.

Researchers typically report adequate test-retest reliability, confirming the stability of the measurement of an individual’s sense of community over time, particularly when administered in stable community settings.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the SCI is inherently tied to a four-factor model corresponding to the theoretical dimensions of Membership, Influence, Reinforcement of Needs, and Shared Emotional Connection. Factor analysis applied to the SCI typically supports this quadripartite structure, although some studies have suggested that in specific populations or settings, a simpler factor structure (such as a single, overarching factor) might be sufficient due to the brevity and simplicity of the 12 items.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Self-Report Scale

Format: Twelve items requiring a dichotomous (True/False) response.

Language Available: English (Original), widely translated and adapted in subsequent research.

Population Group: Community residents, neighborhood members, or specific groups within a defined setting (e.g., mentors, students).

Age Group: All ages, including adolescents and adults. The language is simple enough to be administered to a wide range of developmental stages.

Population Details: Historically used in urban settings for community assessment and intervention evaluation. Applicable wherever a clear, defined “community” or “block” can be identified.

Test Methodology: The scale is administered via self-report. The respondent indicates whether each statement is “mostly true” or “mostly false” about their specific community unit (referred to as “[block]” in the items).

Keywords

Sense of Community Index, SCI, Community Assessment, Social Capital, Neighborhood Evaluation, Psychological Measurement, Collective Efficacy, Chavis, McMillan.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address:

Dr. David M. Chavis
Association for the Study and Development of Community
312 S. Frederick Avenue
Gaithersburg‚ MD 20877
(301) 519-0722

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions and Fees: The Sense of Community Index is explicitly stated to have No copyright and is free to use for research and evaluation purposes. This open accessibility has contributed significantly to its widespread adoption globally.

Test Year: The theoretical foundation for the SCI was established in the seminal work by McMillan and Chavis (1986). The original 12-item index was developed and disseminated in the mid-1980s.

The instrument can be found in CSAP’s Core Measures document on pages 191-193. The original DOC file containing the instrument can be downloaded here: Sense of Community Index.doc

Reference’s

The primary theoretical reference for the scale is the work of McMillan and Chavis. While the source content does not provide a formal citation list, researchers should reference the following foundational works:

• McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6-23.
• Chavis, D. M., Stucky, P. E., & Wandersman, A. (1983). Returning basic research to the community: A relationship between scientists and citizens. American Psychologist, 38(4), 424–433.

Items of the Sense of Community Index (SCI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Sense of Community Index:

I am going to read some statements that people might make about their [block]. Each time I read one of these statements‚ please tell me if it is mostly true or mostly false about your [block] simply by saying “true” or “false.”

True = 1
False = 0

1. I think my [block] is a good place for me to live.
2. People on this [block] do not share the same values.
3. My [neighbors] and I want the same things from the [block].
4. I can recognize most of the people who live on my [block].
5. I feel at home on this [block].
6. Very few of my [neighbors] know me.
7. I care about what my [neighbors] think of my actions.
8. I have no influence over what this [block] is like.
9. If there is a problem on this [block] people who live here can get it solved.
10. It is very important to me to live on this particular [block].
11. People on this [block] generally don’t get along with each other.
12. I expect to live on this [block] for a long time.

Subscales and Scoring:

• Membership = Q4 + Q5 + Q6
• Influence = Q7 + Q8 + Q9
• Reinforcement of Needs = Q1 + Q2 + Q3
• Shared Emotional Connection = Q10 + Q11 + Q12

Note: Scores for Q2‚ Q6‚ Q8‚ & Q11 need to be reversed before scoring (True=0, False=1 for these items).