Social connectedness is the measure of how people come together and interact. At an individual level, social connectedness involves the quality and number of connections one has with other people in a social circle of family, friends, and acquaintances. Going beyond these individual-level concepts, it involves relationships with beyond one's social circles and even to other communities. This connectedness, one of several components of community cohesion, provides benefits to both individuals and society.
Population based surveys sometimes use quantitative questions to help understand the level of social connectedness in communities.
Components
There are six components that have been shown to help a person determine the quality of his interactions and psychological-defined social connectedness with others:
A scale called the Personal Acquaintance Measure has been developed to help a person measure their connectedness with another individual.