NCoC Research: Millenials Emerge as Top Users of the Internet to Participate in Everyday Civic Life

These days it seems that a continuous stream of initiatives are established to foster civic engagement across the country. But is the general sentiment toward participating in civic life one of apathy, or is the discussion of politics and the participation in organized community activities steadily rising?

According to a recent survey from the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, and the nonprofit National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), a majority of Americans were civic minded and engaged in their communities between 2008 and 2010. The research report “2011 Civic Life in America: Key Findings on the Civic Health of the Nation” revealed that more than half of U.S. citizens are discussing politics at least a few times a month, and one-third are participating in groups or organizations. The report breaks down civic activities into five categories, and a majority of Americans participate in three of them:

• Political Action
• Social Connectedness
• Connecting to information/current events.

The research shows a pattern with this civic commitment: those that participate in one area, such as volunteering, were likely to be the same community members who work cooperatively with neighbors and interact with public officials. There was also an indication that as citizens increased their involvement they felt a stronger connection to contribute to their community, for example, providing job training to veterans, tutoring at-risk students, and helping neighbors recover from disasters.

Breaking the key findings down by age group, the Civic Life in America research shows that Americans remained actively engaged long into their lives in numerous ways. Key findings include:

Baby Boomers ranked #1 in discussing politics frequently (38.5%), volunteering (29.3%), and serving as a group officer or committee member (12.5%).

Generation X ranked #1 in the category of frequently eating dinner with household members (90.9%), participation in school groups (19.5%), and participation in sports or recreation groups (13.6%).

Older Adults, age 65 and up, ranked #1 in voting (58.9%), church or religious involvement (22.7%), service or civic group participation (10.4%), and doing favors for neighbors frequently (20.1%). 

Also, notable in the survey is the impact of the Internet and how it continues to influence the way Americans are getting involved in their communities. Those who stay in touch with their peers online are also more likely to participate in activities in their neighborhoods. In fact, the Internet is expanding as an integral part of everyday civic life, with Millennials emerging as the top users. Therefore, civic leaders now have a channel to engage people through technology to meet community needs.

According to David B. Smith, NCoC’s executive director, the Civic Life in America report “helps us discover the ways people are already involved, as well as explore opportunities to increase and sustain new and diverse types of engagement. This allows us to make data-informed decisions and build tools that provide solutions.”

Read Full Fact Sheet >>
See National Demographic Data on the Civic Health of the Nation >>