Does Stronger Social Cohesion Accelerate Recovery Rate? A Case Study of Local Communities in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Today, many communities are experiencing environmental disasters due to climate change. Environmental hazards increase acute community vulnerabilities that worsen the effects of these hazards and make a recovery process a more difficult task. However, community resilience can decrease people’s vulnerabilities and improve their capacity to cope with and adapt to environmental hazards. It is assumed that social cohesion, as a collective social resource, can positively affect the resilience of communities and their ability to recover faster. This exploratory survey research, thus, aims to understand the relationship between social cohesion and community rebounding. Data is gathered using a questionnaire survey and analyzed using the principal component analysis. Case studies are four local communities in Puerto Rico, Corcovada, Cidra, Santo Domingo, and Rucio, affected by many disastrous environmental disruptions such as Hurricane Maria and Fiona. The study results show a positive correlation between social cohesion and community rebounding in the lower rates of recovery rate, communities are more in need in the selected communities. However, based on the results, social cohesion cannot necessarily lead to faster community rebounding at higher rates of recovery and social cohesion. Therefore, it can be concluded that improving social cohesion might contribute to better community adaptation and recovery in times of environmental disruptions, especially when communities are most in need. However, this relationship should not be considered a causal relationship. The present study highlights the role of social cohesion in the recovery rate and community adaptive capacities and helps policymakers better plan to enhance community resilience. Policymakers can use the study’s results to empower the communities facing environmental disruptions.