Social Fabric and Bioethical Deliberation: Correlational Analysis Between Ethical Education and Social Capital in Urban Environments

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between ethical education, bioethical deliberation, and perceived social capital in urban environments. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational-explanatory design was used with a sample of 412 adult urban residents. Three Likert-type scales were applied to measure ethical education, bioethical deliberation, and urban social capital. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical linear regression, and mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstrap samples were conducted. Results showed significant positive correlations between ethical education and bioethical deliberation (r = .62, p < .001), ethical education and social capital (r = .48, p < .001), and bioethical deliberation and social capital (r = .57, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that bioethical deliberation was the strongest predictor of urban social capital (β = .41, p < .001), followed by ethical education (β = .36, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirmed that bioethical deliberation partially mediated the relationship between ethical education and social capital, explaining 45.8% of the total effect. These findings are consistent with recent literature that highlights deliberation in bioethics education, civic reasoning, and social capital as relevant mechanisms for community resilience, democratic participation, and social cohesion . The study concludes that ethical education strengthens urban social fabric when it is translated into deliberative practices oriented toward dialogue, recognition, cooperation, and the common good.