Civic engagement within the local community and sense of responsible togetherness

In modern communities, the perception of low individual and collective civic engagement makes it difficult to think and act to create contexts of responsible ways of togetherness. Indeed, the civic engagement represents a key element in creating social relationships and developing a sense of responsible togetherness (SoRT), because it promotes prosocial values and increases active citizenship and sense of community (SoC). For these reasons, a new vision of local communities that refers to collaborative dimensions and social responsibility is always more outlining in and through social practices. The present study aims to explore the role of local community engagement attitudes and behaviors in promoting collective actions and members’ representations about their interactions with the local community, through their SoC. Three hundred twelve participants (57% is female) aged between 17 and 27 (M = 22.23, SD = 1.92) answered a self-report questionnaire. A structural equation modeling was used. The results show that civic engagement attitudes give meaning to individuals local commitment and civic engaged behaviors, which in turn contribute to develop their SoC, in the end fostering their SoRT. The SoC emerges as a mediator in the relationship between civic engaged behaviors and SoRT, but not in the one between civic engaged attitudes and SoRT, suggesting that both attitudes and behaviors should be fostered to promote new ways of living together within local communities, like a responsible style of togetherness.