The Influence of Situational Awareness on Social Cohesion in Neighborhoods with Social Difficulties.

Abstract

Since the nineties, interest in political and social environments has increased considerably. Several studies have found that the perception of people about their environment affects social cohesion, which has a significant impact on physical and mental health. The aim of this study is to verify the predictive role of satisfaction with the environment and perceptions of social problems on social cohesion in a sample of social housing tenants in Andalusia. A cross sectional study was conducted through questionnaires, with a final sample of 404 participants. The analysis of hierarchical and multiple linear regressions showed that the perception of context and satisfaction with social housing environment significantly predicted social cohesion, although differently for processes of attraction in the neighborhood, neighborhood perceptions and sense of community. The subjective experiences and perceptions of neighborhood residents appear to be important predictors of fundamental social processes such as social cohesion, which should be considered and studied with objective measures of the environment (e.g., unemployment levels or crime rates) in the study of social housing and the design of interventions aimed at social integration.