Tisch College's CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement) is the leading source of authoritative research on civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.
Civic Health Index Finds America in the Midst of Civic Foreclosure
As economic distress continues through the summer and into the fall, Americans are suffering from a “civic foreclosure” that is limiting the range and depth of their civic engagement, according to a new study by National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). The annual America’s Civic Health Index, based on survey data collected in May 2009 and analyzed by Tisch College's CIRCLE is a look at the state of civic engagement in America that reflects the impact of the economic crisis.
Read more and download the report from NCoC.
New Book: "Engaging Young People in Civic Life"
Vanderbilt University Press has published "Engaging Young People in Civic Life," edited by James Youniss and by Peter Levine, with a forward by former United States Representative Lee Hamilton.
This book originated in a meeting organized by CIRCLE and funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Many of the chapters are informed by CIRCLE-funded research projects. In the forward, Hamilton writes, “I can think of no task more important for the future of American democracy than teaching young people about our system of government and encouraging them to get involved in politics and community service. … 'Engaging Young People in Civic Life' is tough-minded, data-driven, and unsentimental. It is full of concrete policy proposals for schools, municipalities, service programs, and political parties. It offers all the appropriate scholarly caveats and qualifications. But at its heart, it is a plea to revive American democracy by offering all our young people the civic opportunities they want and so richly deserve.”
For more information or to order the book, visit CIRCLE's Website.
Youth Without College Experience Less Likely to Volunteer
Despite the upward trend in youth volunteering, young adults with no college experience are half as likely to volunteer as their collegiate counterparts, according to a new CIRCLE report examining the relationship between youth volunteering and college experience. Roughly 43 percent of the 20-to-29-year-old population has not attended college. The report indicates that 25 percent of young adults who have attended college volunteered in 2007 while only 11 percent of those with no college experience volunteered. This gap has remained constant since 2002.
To download the fact sheet, visit CIRCLE's Website.
New Study Examines Impact of State Election Law Reforms on Young Voters
A new CIRCLE Fact Sheet shows that young Americans in the nine states with Election Day registration laws (EDR) were more likely to vote than those living in states without EDR after controlling for education, gender, age, race/ethnicity and marital status. EDR also may decrease the disparity between young and older voters’ turnout. Before implementing EDR, Idaho, New Hampshire and Wyoming were among the worst states in terms of turnout inequality between young and older Americans. This gap has closed in all three states since EDR was implemented.
While EDR showed the strongest results, the study also concluded that keeping polls open for more than 12 hours on Election Day increased the youth voting rate by seven percentage points among full-time working youth and five percentage points among part-time working youth. Part-time students benefited from extended voting hours, also receiving a five percentage point boost.
For more information, Visit CIRCLE's Website.
Register Now for the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship
The 2009 Annual Conference will be held September 9th at the Library of Congress. The conference will feature the fourth annual “America’s Civic Health Index” report, written with the assistance of
CIRCLE. To register for the conference, please visit www.ncoc.net.
