Despite a great deal of interest in a possible decline of social capital in
the United States, scholars have not reached a consensus on the trend. Thi
s article improves upon previous research by providing a model of social ca
pital that has explicit links to theories of social capital and that analyz
es multiple indicators of social capital over a 20-year period. The results
do not consistently support Putnam's claim of a decline in social capital,
showing instead some decline in a general measure of social capital, a dec
line in trust in individuals, no general decline in trust in institutions,
and no decline in associations.