Examining Discussion Networks of a Nonviolent Immigrant Religious Group: How Individual Attitudes and Behaviours Influence Tie Formation

This study used social network analysis to examine discussion networks within an immigrant religious organization consistent with a nonviolent ideological group. Specifically, participants from a Vietnamese Buddhist monastery listed members with whom they discussed religious issues, and whom they perceived influential, and members' attitudes and behaviors toward nonviolence were measured. A valued exponential random graph modeling examined whether individual attributes (i.e., attitudes and behaviors) explained discussion tie formation and its intensity above and beyond the network structural effects. Results showed that members with more positive attitudes towards vegetarianism and those who practiced vegetarianism strictly were more likely to form strong ties with other members. An alternative model of social selection based on attitude and behavioral homophily was tested but did not have a better goodness of fit. Research findings inform future research investigating social influence and social selection within immigrant religious groups by testing different network mechanisms.