Temeljni cilj ovoga rada jest analiza veze između upotrebe internetskih društvenih mreža (na primjeru Facebooka) i participacijskih dimenzija društvenoga kapitala kod mladih u Hrvatskoj. U istraživanju se rabe operacionalizirane participativne dimenzije društvenoga kapitala prema radovima Roberta D. Putnama te teorije o internetskim društvenim mrežama kao potencijalnim agensima društvenoga kapitala. Istraživanje je provedeno online anketom 2012. godine na prigodnom uzorku mladih u Hrvatskoj (N = 577). Rezultati upućuju na konzistentnu pozitivnu povezanost upotrebe internetskih društvenih mreža i broja članstava u udrugama civilnoga društva, odnosno aktivističkih praksi. Pozitivna korelacija s aktivizmom ostaje zamjetna i nakon uključenja uobičajenih korelata, poput članstva u udruzi ili uopćenoga povjerenja. Religioznost ima pozitivnu korelaciju na članstvo u udrugama civilnoga društva, ali negativnu na aktivističke prakse. Zaključuje se kako internetske društvene mreže zbog svojih tehnološko-komunikacijskih karakteristika služe kao relevantan agens participacijskih praksi mladih, uz potrebu proširenih istraživanja s probabilističkim uzorkom.Ključne riječi: digitalno-interaktivni mediji, internetske društvene mreže, društveni kapital, građanski aktivizam, mladi Krešimir Krolo, Odjel za sociologiju, Sveučilište u Zadru,

Following the demise of socialism in 1989, religious identification substantially increased in most countries of Central, East, and Southeast Europe. Considering that there is evidence that religiosity is associated with reduced sexual risk taking among young people, this study explored associations between religiosity--assessed at three different levels (religious upbringing, personal religiosity, and social network religiosity)--and sexual risks among young Croatian adults. In addition, we examined whether religiosity predicted chlamydial infection among women and men aged 18-25. The data were collected in a national probability survey carried out in 2010 (n = 1,005). Overall, the effects of religiosity were sporadic, present primarily among women, and of small size. This lack of a sizeable impact of religiosity on young adults' sexuality was likely related to a particular type of religiosity, characterized by individualized morality, found among young people in the country. Although Croatia seems to be one of the most religious countries in Europe, our findings suggest that promoting religious morality--as recently attempted by an abstinence-based educational program--may not be an efficient tool in reducing sexual risks.

The paper analyses social causes of loneliness in Europe using cross-national data from the 2017 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) module “Social Networks and Social Resources” from 13 countries categorised as Northern Europe, Continental Europe, and Central and Eastern Europe. The paper aims to examine loneliness with regard to three specific groups of predictors, related to network, sociocultural and sociostructural aspects. The results suggest that sociability patterns and personal networks are the most important predictors of loneliness. While the frequency of contacts with family members and close friends and the overall number of contacts showed significance, loneliness was primarily related to the quality of personal relationships. Considering sociocultural factors, the obtained findings showed that social trust is consistently associated with lower levels of loneliness. Furthermore, people from Continental Europe were, in general, less lonely than North and East Europeans. Age was an important factor here as respondents from younger age groups were lonelier in Nordic countries than in the other two blocs of countries, while older respondents were lonelier in Central and East European countries. Finally, sociostructural indicators in general showed less predictive value compared to sociability patterns and sociocultural variables. However, when it came to socioeconomic exclusion, this aspect showed a stronger connection with loneliness for the individuals from the Nordic group of countries. The findings of this paper contribute to the vibrant field of contemporary scholarship on loneliness with a fresh perspective based on comparing three large blocs of European countries and an integrated approach to various predictors of loneliness.

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