“Where were you in ’62?” asks the famous poster for American Graffiti, the Lucas/Coppola 1973 blockbuster which millions of Americans today regard as a nostalgic farewell to a lost era of national innocence. But what is the special significance of the year 1962? Sociologist Robert Putnam, who has written academic blockbusters of his own (most notably, Bowling Alone), believes he knows. According to his massive data archives, 1962 was the year when the average of his indicators on volunteering, trust in strangers, community engagement, political participation, and family togetherness—indicators
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