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Civic Health Index 2009 ILLINOIS CIVIC HEALTH INDEX 1 Introduction 2 Executive Summary 3 Illinois Civic Health Compared to the National Average 4 The Indicators of Civic Health 7 Illinoisans Losing Patience and Trust, but Shifting Civic Focus 8 Millennials Show Lower Engagement and Efficacy in Illinois 10 What Motivates Illinoisans to Become More Engaged? 13 Steps for Illinois’ Civic Renewal 13 Endnotes 14 Appendix 16 Civic Indicators Working Group and State Partners ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS McCormick Freedom Project McCormick Foundation CIRCLE, Tufts University National Conference on Citizenship INTRODUCTION Illinois has experienced more than its fair share of political ups This year, NCoC collaborated with the McCormick Freedom and downs in recent years: it is the state where President Barack Project to assess Illinois’ civic health in this difficult time. In addition Obama started his career as a community organizer and a to political scandals, Illinoisans are also being hit by the recession, politician, but Illinoisans also saw Governor Blagojevich indicted like fellow Americans nationwide. Illinois’ unemployment rate for fraud, solicitation, and bribery, and former Governor George as of May 2009 was 10.1 percent, worse than national average Ryan sent to federal prison for corruption. These political (9.4%), and in our survey: scandals could have repercussions for how Illinoisans relate to 12% experienced lay-offs, their government and communities. Therefore, it is especially important to track Illinois’ civic health. 7% experienced foreclosure, and Tracking and assessing our civic health is an important basis 26% had trouble affording essentials, at some point in for public policy, just like measuring our gross national product. the past year. To that end, the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), This is a unique and particularly difficult time for Illinois; because in partnership with the Civic Indicators Working Group, has of this, it is important to assess Illinoisans’ reactions to the published annual reports since 2006, each entitled America’s current situation so that citizens and officials can determine Civic Health Index. In 2009, NCoC formalized a partnership a future course of action. Using Civic Health Index data and with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Corporation for National the Current Population Survey’s Volunteering Supplement, this and Community Service through the passage of the Edward report describes the levels and quality of civic engagement M. Kennedy Serve America Act, in which Congress charged among Illinoisans in comparison to the national average, tracks these three partner organizations with developing, refining, and longitudinal trends that are unique to Illinois, and provides implementing annual measures of America’s civic health. Having practical implications for policy and practice related to civic good measures of our country’s civic performance will enable engagement in Illinois. policymakers, private and public institutions, and citizens to adjust, strengthen, and improve the range of activities, attitudes and behaviors that make up our nation’s civic life. In April 2009, Knowledge Networks surveyed a total of 3,889 nationally-representative participants for the National Conference on Citizenship. These participants were part of Knowledge Networks’ survey panel. National Conference on Citizenship prepared a separate national report, which was released on August 27, 2009, and available at www.NCoC.net. For this report, 516 respondents from Illinois completed the survey on the Internet. Knowledge Networks’ national panel is carefully chosen using random-digit sampling, address-based sampling, and cell-phone based sampling to minimize potential biases. Knowledge Network also includes households that do not have Internet connection by providing connection and necessary equipment to those who do not have access at home. Introduction 1 ILLINOIS CIVIC HEALTH COMPARED TO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE NATIONAL AVERAGE The Illinois Civic Health Index 2009 shows that Illinoisans are But not all is lost. Illinoisans still maintain high levels of trust hurt by both economic recession and loss of trust in their state toward others’ good intention and honesty on a personal level. government. One in ten Illinoisans in the workforce are currently In fact, they may be looking for an outlet of their goodwill and unemployed, and according to our survey, 26% of Illinoisans desire to engage through less formal channels. Alternative forms had trouble affording essentials such as food and medication, of engagement, such as working with neighbors on a community 12% experienced lay-offs, and 7% went through a foreclosure problem, are on the rise. at one point during the past year. Reacting to the string of Our survey also highlighted a lack of engagement and trust political scandals surrounding major players, Illinoisans showed among Millennials in Illinois. They were less likely to volunteer, significantly lower levels of trust toward their state government work with neighbors to solve problems, or attend public compared to national average. meetings where community issues are discussed than their These factors, an economic crisis and state-wide political scandals, peers nationwide. While Millennials led older generations in have grave implications for Illinois’ civic health. Our survey volunteering rate nationwide, Millennials were the least likely showed that 76% of Illinoisans, compared to 72% nationwide, cut to volunteer in Illinois. Almost half of Illinois Millennials said that back on time spent on volunteering, participating in groups and they had hardly any confidence that their state government will doing other civic activities in the past year. While cutting back spend the federal stimulus money wisely. Illinois Millennials see on civic engagement is consistent with the national trend this a state government that has abused the public trust and may year, our findings show that Illinoisans have been cutting back not feel compelled to contribute to a seemingly broken system. on civic engagement for the past several years, and at a faster This is a major concern, as today’s young people are the elected pace than others in the U.S. Just a couple of years ago in 2006, officials of tomorrow. Illinoisans were more likely to volunteer (29.9%) than national Although our findings from Illinois generally indicate that average (26.7%). But the latest findings show that they were Illinoisans have been disappointed, frustrated and even significantly less likely to volunteer (24.9%) than national average disillusioned by the economic crisis and political scandals, (26.5). While the nation as a whole has been volunteering at a Illinoisans showed strong support for federal legislations that higher rate in the past three years, Illinoisans decreased their propel our nation’s civic agenda forward. They were particularly volunteering sharply. likely to support legislations that integrate civic engagement Illinois has been astutely described as “leaderless” because of with education, such as providing tuition for service, requiring the major political scandals that plague Illinoisans at both state a new Civics test, and incorporating service learning as part of and community levels. Only 15% of Illinoisans said they believed school curriculum. The enthusiasm toward educating the youth the state government did the right thing most of the time, in civics may indeed reflect citizens’ disappointment in their compared to 27% of nation as a whole. Furthermore, Illinoisans’ government and realization that they must educate students confidence in the state’s civic traditions was among the lowest about the critical role of active citizenship in building an honest, of all states. The lack of trust in the state government seems to ethical government. The McCormick Freedom Project and the have a pervasive impact on their view of formal institutions. Many Illinois Civic Mission Coalition have coproduced Civic Blueprint Illinoisans are reluctant to get involved in formal civic institutions for Illinois High Schools to provide useful guidelines for teaching such as local policy making or volunteering through organizations. active citizenship to their students. ILLINOIS CIVIC HEALTH COMPARED TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE In this section, we refer to the Current Population Survey (CPS) ranked 37th in volunteering rate at 24.8%2. The civic decline in from the Census Bureau to estimate the general engagement Illinois appears to have been ongoing for the past five years - in level among Illinoisans on four major indicators of civic 2004, the statewide volunteering rate was 29.1% and in 2008, it engagement: volunteering, attendance of public meetings where was 24.8%. From 2003 to 2005 the number of Illinois volunteers community issues are discussed, working with neighbors to solve held steady at 2.9 million volunteers. In 2008, an estimated 2.5 or improve a community problem, and voting. million Illinoisans volunteered, representing a decline of 500,000 volunteers. Similarly, Illinoisans donated 356 million hours in 2003 Illinois’ civic health is in a state of continuous decline, made but just 279 million hours in 2008, which is a 22% reduction. This worse by the current economic climate. Fewer Illinoisans recent decline is a result of both a smaller portion of Illinoisans volunteer and when they do volunteer, they spend fewer hours volunteering, but also of a reduced number of hours per on volunteering per year than they did several years ago. In volunteer (37 hours in 2003 to 28 hours
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