Giving means receiving: the protective effect of social capital on binge drinking on college campuses.

OBJECTIVES We tested whether higher levels of social capital on college campuses protected against individual risks of binge drinking. METHODS We used a nationally representative survey of 17,592 young people enrolled at 140 4-year colleges. Social capital was operationalized as individuals' average time committed to volunteering in the past month aggregated to the campus level. RESULTS In multivariate analyses controlling for individual volunteering, sociodemographics, and several college characteristics, individuals from campuses with higher-than-average levels of social capital had a 26% lower individual risk for binge drinking (P < .001) than their peers at other schools. CONCLUSIONS Social capital may play an important role in preventing binge drinking in the college setting.