Much modern research concerning cathedrals in contemporary society is interested in understanding those who enter cathedrals as visitors. Less academic attention, however, has been given to those who regularly enter the cathedral as worshippers. This dissertation focuses on those who state that they are regular members of five cathedral congregations in England and Wales through the conceptual lens of social capital. The dissertation is divided into two main parts. Part one is concerned with the social capital, and religious social capital. Chapter one will focus on the foundational work of Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman and Robert Putnam before over-viewing the theoretical developments of the construct. Chapter two will then focus on the theoretical development of religious and spiritual capital as a way of understanding the particular social capital produced by religious organisations and people.
Part two explores the responses of 361 regular members of five cathedrals in England and Wales. The statistics demonstrate the importance of the atmosphere and the musical tradition in attracting people to become members of the cathedral congregation. Further, it is demonstrated that cathedrals display good levels of social capital, with high levels of trust, reciprocity and experiences of community. Part two then goes on to explore the relationship between social capital and a range of individual differences indicators, including sex, age, proximity to the cathedral, social class, frequency of prayer, and voluntary participation. The dissertation concludes with recommendations as to how cathedrals within England and Wales may develop levels of social capital among regular members of their congregations.