Our present conflicts are genuine. Their central cause, though, isn't a loss of civic life. Blacks were segregated in schools and jobs. Most married women stayed at home. The assault on former discriminations and the pursuit of more social justice - all that improved life, while also creating new conflicts and problems.
Groups often reflect society's divisions.
Moreover, Putnam wildly exaggerates any decline in group participation. Unions declined because the economic and legal climate turned hostile, but other groups expanded. Putnam's sharp drop occurs only after he makes a statistical adjustment for rising educational levels. In the past, better-educated people have belonged to more groups. But excluding this adjustment, there aren't many major changes.