Work

Examining Discussion Networks of a Nonviolent Immigrant Religious Group: How Individual Attitudes and Behaviours Influence Tie Formation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study used social network analysis to examine discussion networks within an immigrant religious organization consistent with a nonviolent ideological group. Specifically, participants from a Vietnamese Buddhist monastery listed members with whom they discussed religious issues, and whom they perceived influential, and members' attitudes and behaviors toward nonviolence were measured. A valued exponential random graph modeling examined whether individual attributes (i.e., attitudes and behaviors) explained discussion tie formation and its intensity above and beyond the network structural effects. Results showed that members with more positive attitudes towards vegetarianism and those who practiced vegetarianism strictly were more likely to form strong ties with other members. An alternative model of social selection based on attitude and behavioral homophily was tested but did not have a better goodness of fit. Research findings inform future research investigating social influence and social selection within immigrant religious groups by testing different network mechanisms.

Source: International Social Science Journal

DOI: 10.1111/issj.12559

Authors: Zachary B. Massey, Sun Kyong Lee

Institutions: OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma, Korea University

Language: English

Topic: Religion and Society Interactions

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute

Awards: G1365526323, Stephenson Cancer Center - Cancer Center Support Grant