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Latent Class Models in action: bridging social capital & Internet usage
Barbara Barbosa Neves1, Jaime R S Fonseca2
1TAGlab, University of Toronto, Canada.
Social Science Research
|January 17, 2015
Summary
Latent Class Models (LCM) offer a valuable alternative for social research when regression assumptions fail. This study found a positive link between bridging social capital and Internet usage in Lisbon.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Sociology
- Internet Studies
Background:
- Social capital, defined as resources from social ties, includes bridging social capital (weak ties) providing instrumental resources like information.
- Traditional regression models may fail when their basic assumptions are not met in social research.
- Investigating the relationship between bridging social capital and Internet usage is crucial for understanding digital divides and social inclusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the application of Latent Class Models (LCM) in social research, particularly when regression assumptions are violated.
- To examine the relationship between bridging social capital and Internet usage using LCM.
- To demonstrate the utility of LCM in creating social capital variables and analyzing their relationship with Internet use.
Main Methods:
- Latent Class Models (LCM) were employed to construct the bridging social capital variable.
- LCM was utilized to estimate the relationship between bridging social capital and Internet usage, especially when logistic regression analysis encountered convergence issues.
- Data were collected from a stratified random sample of 417 inhabitants of Lisbon, Portugal.
Main Results:
- Latent Class Models successfully created the bridging social capital variable.
- A positive relationship was identified between bridging social capital and Internet usage.
- LCM provided a viable alternative for analysis when logistic regression faced convergence problems.
Conclusions:
- Latent Class Models are a powerful tool for social science research, offering flexibility beyond traditional regression.
- Bridging social capital is positively associated with Internet usage.
- The study highlights the potential of LCM for complex social data analysis and theory building.
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