A cross-cultural dataset on the structure of social networks: The ENDOW project

Overview & Synopsis

We present multilayer social network data from 50 communities, located in 29 countries around the world, gathered as part of the "ENDOW" project. The communities show exceptional diversity, from fishers in Bangladesh and Vanuatu, to horticulturalists in Fiji and Bolivia, to pastoralists in Namibia and Argentina, to farmers and wage labourers in India and Colombia. Data collection embraced this variation, while still aiming for comparability. Respondents answered ten network prompts on behalf of their "sharing unit" (household), covering different types of material and immaterial support. From these, we construct networks representing flows of support between sharing units in each community. We compare nomination patterns and network summary statistics across the ENDOW communities and to other benchmark datasets. The summaries exhibit considerable heterogeneity, suggesting a need to revisit existing ``rules of thumb'' about social network structure. These measures contribute novel reference points for research on the diversity of human sociality and social structure.