Greater Cincinnatians are more involved in community groups and charitable causes than people in other U.S. cities but have less diversity of friendships and less knowledge of political affairs, a study released Thursday showed.

        In a national study of “social capital,'' community leaders argued that Americans need to turn off the TV and spend more time with their neighbors, their kids' teachers and on civic causes.

        “Social capital means trust, reciprocity, cooperations and civic involvement,” said Kathy Merchant, president of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, local sponsor of the study. “Those things lead to healthy and vital communities.”

        Foundation leaders hope to use the results to spark more civic involvement, charitable contributions and volunteer interest.

        They said the venture will lead to healthier nonprofit groups, more involved communities, better government and happier citizens.

        That can mean activities as simple as donating blood or participating in a sports league, to those as complicated and time-consuming as fighting to maintain local services such as post offices and schools in local communities.

        The survey findings about Greater Cincinnati included:

        • The average work commute here is a half-hour and rising.

        • More than half of people surveyed have Internet access at home.

        • People here trust local government more than national government.

        The survey included about 1,000 people from eight counties in Greater Cincinnati. In most areas, Greater Cincinnati is close to the national average, officials said.

        Ms. Merchant said the foundation would form a Better Together Cincinnati Task Force that will emphasize charitable giving, volunteering and other civic engagements.

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