Library

Reports: Citizenship

How Americans Get Local Political News
Pew Research Center, July 2024
Explores sources of local political news, Americans' satisfaction with the quality of news they receive, and the ease with which they are able to access information related to local politics. more info >

Social, Civic, and Institutional Trust: Necessary Conditions for a Pluralistic Democracy
Carsey School of Public Policy, July 2024
Explores trends in social, civic, and institutional trust, and the effects of the erosion of trust on individuals, communities, and public participation in political and civic matters. more info >

State of Black America
National Urban League, June 2024
Annual report from the National Urban League. The most recent report focuses on the impact of the 1964 Civil Rights, and includes measures related income, education, health, civic engagement, housing, transportation, and public safety for Hispanic, Black, and White populations. Includes metropolitan area rankings of unemployment and income equality. more info >

Civic Life Today: The State of U.S. Civic Engagement
Points of Light, April 2022, 20 pp.
This report explores Americans’ attitudes, behaviors and barriers around civic engagement. more info >

The Civic Health Index 2021
National Conference on Citizenship, February 2022, 36 pp.
Looks at civic health trends across four broad categories: political and civic engagement, group affiliation, social comity, and information and knowledge. more info >

2021 Veterans Civic Health Index
National Conference on Citizenship, November 2021, 28 pp.
This report looks at the civic health of America's veteran population. It includes data on volunteerism, engagement with local governments and community organizations, voting, helping neighbors, charitable giving, and more. more info >

Despite Pandemic, Civically Engaged Youth Report Higher Well-Being
CIRCLE, July 2021, 6 pp.
An analysis of the effects of the pandemic on youth, suggesting that civic access and participation helped some youth thrive despite the negative economic impacts of COVID-19, especially on young people of color. more info >

Designing and Conducting a Community-Based Civic Health Index: A Primer for Local Leaders
Carsey School of Public Policy, March 2021, 8 pp.
This primer offers suggestions for designing and conducting a community-based civic health index, which allows local leaders to determine what is most important to measure in a particular town or small city and then collect local data reflecting the specific civic activities of that community’s residents. more info >

Community Ties: Understanding what attaches people to the place where they live
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, May 2020, 44 pp.
To understand what attaches people to the places they live, this study surveyed over 11,000 Americans living in 26 metro areas throughout the United States where Knight Foundation works. more info >

The Health of State Democracies
Center for American Progress Action Fund, July 2015, 93 pp.
This report takes a broad approach to evaluate state-level democratic performance, evaluating measures such as voting laws, redistricting, campaign finance, and fair courts as interconnected pieces of a state democracy. It examines each state’s performance across these measures in order to better examine the diverse criteria necessary for a successful democratic system. more info >

Community Leadership, Engagement, and Problem-Solving: Bush Foundation North Dakota Household Survey
Wilder Research, December 2011, 8 pp.
To better understand how North Dakotans feel about the future of their state, the Bush Foundation commissioned Wilder Research to conduct a survey asking questions about quality of life and the ability of their community to exercise the leadership necessary to address challenges. more info >

So What Difference Does it Make? Mapping the Outcomes of Civic Engagement
Institute of Development Studies, October 2010, 74 pp.
This paper presents results from a meta-case study analysis of 100 research studies of citizen engagement in 20 countries, identifying and examining outcomes centered on citizen participation. more info >

Web sites

NCoC Civic Health Initiatives
A series of reports designed to inform citizens and policymakers about the state of our civil society and democracy. The Indices measure how well Americans are connecting to each other and their communities by rates of volunteering, voting, connections to civic and religious organizations, trust in other Americans and key institutions, and other civic behavior and attitudes. Reports focus on different populations groups and topics. more info >