The Generational Portrait Study A Source for Indicators of Civic Life Skills

The Civic and Political Health of the Nation: A Generational Portrait Funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts

Project Overview: Two Key Goals  To assess the civic health of the American public, with a focus on youth  To develop a compact, valid, and reliable set of survey-based indicators of civic and political engagement

Project Phases and Schedule  Spring 2001: “expert panels” with activists, organizers, academics  Summer 2001: focus groups with citizens of all ages (and one after 9/11)  Fall 2001 and winter 2002: extensive survey pretesting  Spring 2002: two national surveys  Summer 2002: confirming focus groups

Today’s Summary of Findings  Levels of engagement and types of citizens  Generational comparisons

Cast of Characters  DotNet cohort: age Born  GenX cohort: age Born  Baby Boomer cohort: age Born  Mature cohort: age 57 + Born before 1946

Activities of Interest  Selected 19 specific behaviors to measure in the survey  For most behaviors, respondents were asked about lifetime incidence and the past 12 months  Survey also measured a range of attitudes and experiences

The Dimensions of Engagement  Many different ways in which citizens can be active in the society and the polity  Patterns of activity fell into four key dimensions: –Civic activity –Electoral activity –Political voice –Underlying all of these: Attentiveness Attentiveness

Civic Activity (organized voluntary activity focused on problem solving and helping others)  Regular volunteering for a non- electoral organization  Working with others to solve a community problem  Raising money for charity  Belonging to groups

Civic Activity

Electoral Activity

Political Voice  Signing petitions (written and )  Contacting public officials  Contacting the media or calling in to a talk show  Protesting  Canvassing  Boycotting or buycotting

Expressions of Political Voice

What Makes an Engaged Citizen  Found citizens working in different realms: the civic and the electoral  Most of those who are active work only in one or the other  Those who work in both are special

A Typology of Engagement

Civic Activities 0 or 1 2 or more

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 2 or more

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48% 2 or more

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48% 2 or more 16%

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%16%

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%16%  Disengaged

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%16%  Disengaged  Civic Specialist

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%16%  Disengaged  Civic Specialist  Electoral Specialist

A Typology of Engagement Electoral Activities 0 or 1 2 or more Civic Activities 0 or 1 48%20% 2 or more 16%16%  Disengaged  Civic Specialist  Electoral Specialist  Dual Activist

Two or More Expressions of “Political Voice”

DotNets More Disengaged…Fewer Dual Activists Electoral Specialist Disengaged Civic Specialist Dual Activist

DotNets More Disengaged…Fewer Dual Activists Electoral Specialist Disengaged Civic Specialist Disengaged Civic Specialist Electoral Specialist Dual Activist

Major Findings of the Study  DotNet cohort is distinctive –Low levels of trust in other people –But relatively high levels of civic engagement –High level of faith in government and support for much of what it does –But very low levels of electoral involvement

Major Findings of the Study  DotNet cohort is distinctive (cont.) –Very tolerant of diversity in its many forms –Narrow view of responsibilities of citizenship

Major Findings of the Study  Civic and political engagement occur in two overlapping arenas –The civic arena of organized voluntary activity and associations –The electoral arena of elections and campaigns  Half of the public is disengaged  Just over 1/3 specialize in either civic or electoral activity  One-in-six are “Dual Activists”

For Additional Information Molly W. Andolina, Ph.D. DePaul University CIRCLE Survey template and guide A New Engagement? Zukin et al. (Oxford, 2006)