Sorting out just why education
has such a massive effect on social connectedness would require a book, not a mere lecture.10 Education is in part a proxy for social class and economic differences, but when income, social status, and education are used together to predict trust and group membership,education continues to be the primary influence. (Income and satisfaction with one's personal financial situation both have a significant independent effect.) In short, highly educated people are much more likely to be joiners and trusters, partly because they are better off economically, but mostly because of the skills, resources, and inclinations that were imparted to them at home and in school.