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Greater Seattle Civic Health Index - Success and the Work Ahead
In collaboration with the National Conference on Citizenship, CityClub published a report on civic health in 2010, documenting voting, volunteerism, philanthropy, political voice, group membership and neighborliness in our region compared to national standards. Providing a disciplined approach and metrics to measure civic engagement for the very first time, the Greater Seattle Civic Health Index is a foundational study with recommendations to boost regional civic vitality. An update will be released in 2013.
We are proud to say that greater Seattle is one of the most civically engaged regions in the country, but our 2010 report suggests that this success can easily evaporate if we do not implement new strategies to engage all citizens of greater Seattle.
Results from the 2010 Greater Seattle Civic Health Index:
|
Civic Activity |
Greater Seattle |
US/National |
|
Volunteering |
35.7% |
26.8% |
|
Group Membership |
46.8% |
35.1% |
|
Talking with Family & Friends via the internet |
70.5% |
53.6% |
|
Contributing $25+ |
60.3% |
50.0% |
|
Engaged in one or more non-electoral political act |
40.2% |
21.6% |
Our findings point to the importance of high quality education – including civic education – and opportunities for community involvement for greater Seattle youth. College graduates are almost twice as likely as high school graduates to make a donation of $25 or more, volunteer, and attend a public meeting where issues are discussed. But only 71% of King County high school students graduate and only about 40% attend college. Making matters worse, Washington State is not living up to its constitutional mandate to provide adequate funding for its public schools, and consequently ranks 37th among states for awarding Bachelor’s degrees.
What you can do...
CityClub will be re-measuring the civic health of greater Seattle again in 2013 and our goal is to boost every metric documented in this report. The Call to Action below is a series of simple steps that all individuals and organizations can take to help build a more prosperous Seattle. Set a goal for how you and/or your organization can improve civic health in your community based on the detailed recommendations in the 2010 Civic Health Index and Executive Summary. We can look forward to great social and economic prosperity for Seattle when all citizens are involved with and connected to their community.
Call to Action:
• Spread the word about the Civic Health Index to your constituents through your newsletters, meetings, or links to CityClub.
• Request a speaker to address your organization or speak at your event about the civic health of greater Seattle and how you can implement simple strategies to improve it.
• Keep track of any changes you have made or have seen and share them with us so they can be highlighted in CityClub events and media, and documented in the future report.
• Get involved in your community individually or with a group by following even one of the recommendations mentioned in all three Civic Health Index tools.
More information:
Below are three different ways for you to access greater Seattle’s 2010 Civic Health Index findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
1. Full Report
2. Civic Health Index Executive Summary
3. Civic Health Index PowerPoint
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