This presentation won the postgraduate paper prize for a TGRG-sponsored submission at the RGS-IBG conference 2013.

1. Dynamics of Social Interaction
Frequency: Role of Geography
and Accessibility
Fariya Sharmeen

2. Background
• People are space bound.
• Social networks also are embedded in a spatial
setting.
• Studies on social networks recognize distance in
geographical space as a determinant of distance in
network links in terms of tie strength between an ego
and alters.
• Thus geography matters for social interactions as
much as anything else
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 2

3. Background
Which geographical features?
•
•
•
•
Distance to alters
Accessibility to Transport infrastructures
Accessibility to Facilities
Degree of Urbanization
History of interaction
Dynamics of distance
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 3

4. Background
Why this is important?
1. Acknowledge the role of geographical features in
explaining social interaction
2. Comprehensive modelling approach
3. can provide useful direction to sustainable
community design and can strengthen social
cohesion policies.
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 4

5. Theory and Concepts
Accessibility to
facilities and
transport
infrastructures
Ego’s socio
demographics
h
o
m Ego-Alter tie
o characteristics
p
h
il
y Geographical
distance with alter
Social
Interaction
History of social
interaction
path dependency
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 5
Degree of
urbanization
Changes in
geographical
distance with alter
life course approach
a
c
c
e
s
s
i
b
il
it
y

6. Research Questions
• To what extent are social interaction/activity
frequencies path dependent?
• Does a change in geographical distance with alters
influence social interaction/activity frequency?
• What are the effects of urbanization and accessibility
to social/recreational facilities on social
interaction/activity frequency?
• What are the effects of life cycle-events on social
interaction/activity frequency?
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 6

7. Data
Event based retrospective survey
1.Socio demographics
2.Present social network
3.Dynamics in social network
4.Dynamics in Activity Travel schedule
Netherlands
700 respondents
September 2011
8458 ties
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 7

8. Data
Cetral Bureau of Statistics, Netherlands
Degree of urbanization and
Accessibility to facilities
within neighbourhood – defined by 4 digit postcode
2006
Open street map
calculate distance to city/town/village center
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 8

9. Methodology
Ordered Logit model
n
y ijt =
∑β
1 itk
x1 itk + ε ij
k =1
Extension 1: Random effects model
n
y ijt =
∑β
n
1itk
n
x1itk + ∑ β 2 ijtk x 2 ijtk + ∑ β 3 itk x3 itk + α i + ε ij
k =1
k =1
k =1
Extension 2: Path dependence model
n
n
n
n
yijt = ∑β1itkx1itk +∑β2ijtkx2ijtk + ∑β3itkx3itk + ∑β2ij(t−1)k x2ij(t−)k + yij(t−1) +αi +εij
k=1
/ department of the Built Environment
k=1
k=1
27-8-2013 9
k=1

10. Descriptives
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 10

11. Results
Ordered logit model of face-to-face interaction frequency
Dependent variable face o face interaction frequency
(0=none, 1=less, 2=once a month, 3=2-3 times a month, 4=once a week,
5=2-3 times a week, 6=daily)
Model 1:
Basic
model
Model 3:
Model 2:
Random effects
Random
with land use
effects
and accessibility
model
indicators
Model 4:
Random
effects with
state
dependence
Model 5:
Random
effects with
interaction
variables
-12276.56
-12262.65
Log likelihood function -14589.34 -14262.48 -14245.97
Restricted log
-15514.46 -14589.34 -14562.30
likelihood
Chi square
1850.24*** 653.71*** 632.65***
-12582.74
-12567.12
612.36***
608.93***
# of Parameters
34
35
44
49
54
AIC/N
3.458
3.381
3.379
2.915
2.912
∆i=Exp(-∆AIC /2)
6.70
4.85
3.30
1.34
1
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 11

12. Results
6 groups of variables
I1: Ego’s socio demographics
I2: Ego-alter tie characteristics
I3: Life cycle events
I4: Density and Aceessibility indicators
I5: History of social interactions and distance
I6: interaction effects
I1: Ego’s socio demographics
AGE21-30
Gender: male
No car
Driving license: yes
HH with children
HH without children
HH with friends
Work hr per week
Size of Social network
# club membership
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 12
β
0.352
-0.007
0.319
0.144
-0.081
-0.151
-0.080
0.001
-0.103
0.082
***
***
***
**
***
***
***
t
7
-0.25
7.91
4.19
-2.17
-3.67
-1.6
1.33
-7.45
3.45

13. Results
I2: Ego-alter tie characteristics
Same age group
Same education level
Same gender
Age difference: upto 2 category
Education level difference: upto 2 category
Relation: neighbour
Relation: friend
Relation: family
Relationship strength: weak
Relationship strength: medium
Distance: 0-1 km
Distance: 2-5 km
Distance: 6-30 km
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 13
β
-0.119
0.218
0.169
0.011
-0.028
0.203
0.239
0.272
-0.893
-0.315
2.739
0.284
0.257
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
t
-4.57
5.07
6.24
0.46
-0.73
4.69
8.2
7.49
-19.13
-12.46
46.67
7.21
6.98

14. Results
I3: Life cycle events
Event: change in work/study
Event: children start school
Event: change in residence
Event time: 6-12 months
Event time: 0-6 months
I4: Density and accessibility indicators
Distance to city centre (log)
Rural area
Suburban area
#Shopping within 1 km
#Café/Restaurant within 1 km
#Attractions within 10 km
Distance to highway (log)
Distance to train station (log)
Distance to public green (log)
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 14
β
0.056
0.092
-0.108
-0.161
-0.202
β
-0.011
0.064
-0.057
0.014
-0.002
-0.015
0.034
-0.031
0.001
***
***
***
*
*
*
*
***
***
*
*
t
0.81
1.12
-2.71
-4.6
-6.1
t
1.68
1.92
-1.86
1.67
-6.53
-2.41
1.79
-1.76
-0.62

15. Results
I5: History of social interaction and distance
F2F before: daily
F2F before: weekly
F2F before: monthly
NOWFAR
NOWCLOSE
3.342
2.200
0.812
-0.425
-0.059
I6: Interaction effects
-0.347
0.412
0.104
-0.144
0.251
***
***
***
**
β
Neighbour*change in residence
NOWFAR*change in residence
NOWFAR*change in work/study
NOWCLOSE*change in work/study
NOWCLOSE*change in residence
Threshold parameter
Mu(01)
Mu(02)
Mu(03)
Mu(04)
Mu(05)
t
β
β
1.632
2.483
3.116
3.938
5.003
t
66.96
96.24
114.0
142.4
163.2
/ department of the Built Environment
Std Deviation random effect
Sigma
27-8-2013 15
β
t
0.482 20.82
89.85
60.84
17.39
-2.13
-1.01
t
***
***
***
***
-5.07
2.35
0.56
-3.48
5.27

16. Answers to Research Questions
• Face-to-face social interaction frequencies are
strongly path dependent.
• Findings support that change in geographical
distance affect social interaction frequency.
• Varied effects of degree of urbanization, accessibility
to facilities and transport infrastructures were
observed and reported.
• Social interaction/activity frequency dynamics are
subject to the type of event.
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 16

17. Conclusion
• The study aims to model face to face social
interaction frequency taking the effects of
accessibility, degree of urbanization, and path
dependency.
• It shows that inclusion of local geographical and
accessibility indicators and long term dynamics
improves model performance.
• The findings add to the long debated body of
literature in sociology about distance decay in social
relationships.
• The novel contribution is the inclusion of the effects
of changes induced by life-cycle events.
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 17

18. Next?
• In depth analysis of purpose and location-type
choice
• Alter’s home location
• Preferences, limitations of individuals
• Ethnic and migrated neighbourhoods
/ department of the Built Environment
27-8-2013 18

19. Thank you
Fariya Sharmeen
f.sharmeen@tue.nl