The Generational Portrait Study

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The Generational Portrait Study

• A Source for Indicators of
• Civic Life Skills

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The Civic and Political Health of the Nation A
Generational Portrait

• Funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts

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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

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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

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Todays Summary of Findings

• Levels of engagement and types of citizens
• Generational comparisons

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Cast of Characters

• DotNet cohort age 15-25
• Born 1977-1987
• GenX cohort age 26-37
• Born 1965-1976
• Baby Boomer cohort age 38-56
• Born 1946-1964
• Mature cohort age 57
• Born before 1946

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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

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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

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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

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Civic Activity
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Civic Activity
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Electoral Activity
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Electoral Activity
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Political Voice

• Signing petitions (written and e-mail)
• Contacting public officials
• Contacting the media or calling in to a talk show
• Protesting
• Canvassing
• Boycotting or buycotting

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Expressions of Political Voice
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Expressions of Political Voice
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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

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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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A Typology of Engagement
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Two or More Expressions of Political Voice
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DotNets More DisengagedFewer Dual Activists
Disengaged
Civic Specialist
Electoral Specialist
Dual Activist
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DotNets More DisengagedFewer Dual Activists
Disengaged
Disengaged
Civic Specialist
Civic Specialist
Electoral Specialist
Electoral Specialist
Dual Activist
Dual Activist
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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

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Major Findings of the Study

• DotNet cohort is distinctive (cont.)
• Very tolerant of diversity in its many forms
• Narrow view of responsibilities of citizenship

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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

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For Additional Information

• Molly W. Andolina, Ph.D.
• DePaul University
• mandolin_at_depaul.edu
• CIRCLE
• www.civicyouth.org
• Survey template and guide
• A New Engagement?
• Zukin et al. (Oxford, 2006)