The Institute of Directors (IoD) in Guernsey is launching a survey as part of its research into Guernsey’s social capital and its impact on the island’s economic, business and community wellbeing.
The survey has been written by Tristan Claridge from the Institute of Social Capital, who has been evaluating the social capital in Guernsey through bespoke research involving data collected from group discussions, key-informant interviews, informal meetings and observations.
The research will help identify a detailed understanding of the complexity of social capital in Guernsey. This will highlight both opportunities for further improving social capital and its many benefits, as well as the potential threats that may undermine the island's community cohesion and future prosperity.
The survey will be the second part of the research, building on the interviews that Mr Claridge has already carried out with a variety of stakeholders and will provide supplementary data for analysis.
Mr Claridge said: ‘This project is a world first in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of social capital in a community using a logically grounded framework.
‘The research is uncovering a rich and fascinating picture of Guernsey's social capital and is finding that Guernsey is a unique and special place with incredibly strong social capital. The groundbreaking study has the potential to be replicated in other communities with far-reaching benefits.’
The findings will be presented at this year’s IoD Convention - Social Capital: The Key to Economic Growth and Social Wellbeing in Guernsey - which will be held on 3rd October at Beau Sejour.
The convention will delve into how social capital empowers businesses to collaborate, build strong networks, and drive innovation. The event aims to highlight the concept of social capital and its role in fostering economic growth and enhancing the social wellbeing of our community.
Glen Tonks, Chair of the IoD Guernsey branch, said: ‘This second survey is a large step in deepening our understanding of how these social networks and relationships contribute to the economic and social wellbeing of our island. We ask for all islanders to contribute to this study to help ensure our data is inclusive and robust.
‘We look forward to seeing how this data will build on the research conducted to date and how it will guide us in fostering a stronger, more connected Guernsey. We are seeing the topic of social capital gain more and more traction, with titles like the Harvard Business Review giving it prominence.
‘The convention promises to be an extremely insightful event for all attendees.’
The survey, which takes only a few minutes to complete, will close on Friday 13th September and can be found here.