Sense of responsible togetherness, sense of community, and civic engagement behaviours: Disentangling an active and engaged citizenship

Local communities should represent entities where individuals get answers to their affiliation needs and for which they feel responsible, but in modern ones, increasingly complex ways of living together are fostering citizens' civic and social disengagement. The present study addresses the relationships between the cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of an active and engaged citizenship. Five hundred and fifty-five Italian citizens answered an online questionnaire about their Sense of Responsible Togetherness, Sense of Community, and Civic Engagement Behaviours. The results support Sense of Community as a mediator in the relationship between Sense of Responsible Togetherness and civic engagement behaviours, suggesting that the representations about community members being active and responsible, and having opportunities to meet and match, could at the same time strengthen their tie to that community and foster their civic engagement for it. This could set up a cycle of enhancement and empowerment for individuals and communities through increasing the opportunities for local generative interactions and civic engagement.