Social capital and views on suicide via the internet: a study using survey data

Based on data from surveys conducted in Japan, this paper attempts to examine the effect of social capital on individuals’ views about suicide as conveyed via the Internet. Furthermore, this paper compared the effects of social capital accumulated in respondents’ residential areas at 15 years of age and in current residential areas. Empirical results show that 15-year-old individuals residing in areas with high social capital are unlikely to understand why people would search the Internet for a companion with whom to commit suicide. However, such a relation is not observed between social capital in the current residential area and views on suicide. This indicates that interpersonal relationships in childhood reduce the externality of suicidal thoughts conveyed via the Internet.