Americans Seeking More - and More Meaningful - Community Involvement

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POLL FINDS AMERICANS ACTIVELY ENGAGED AND EAGER TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION WHERE THEY FEEL THEY CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE--THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON, DC (Monday, June 14, 1999)--Contrary to conventional wisdom, a new survey released today by the League of Women Voters finds that Americans are actively engaged in their communities and are interested in becoming even more involved--as long as they don't have to participate in politics to do so.

The survey-- "Working Together: Community Involvement in America"-- shows that a majority of Americans (56 percent) are at least somewhat involved in community activities and issues, and that almost half of all Americans (46 percent) say they would like to be more involved, including nearly a fifth (18 percent) who say they would like to be much more involved. However, people are far less interested in political activities such as working for a candidate or even voting than they are in fundamental community activities like volunteering at church or for their PTA.

While only a third (31 percent) of those surveyed report participating in a political activity in the past few years, a majority (54 percent) say they've worked on local or neighborhood problems.

"The great news from this report is that at the close of the 20th century, civic involvement is alive and well in America," said League President Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins. "Still more encouraging is the number of people who want to become even more involved." However, Jefferson-Jenkins and the pollsters noted, the survey also indicates that traditional methods for involving individuals in the political process--such as voter registration drives--may no longer be the most effective first steps to engagement.

"The implications of this survey are remarkable," said Jefferson-Jenkins. "The successful organizations of the next centruy will be the ones who realize that the first steps on the path to civic involvement no longer seem to be activities like voter registration or volunteering with a political party. More and more, it's community activities like Little League, the PTA, and the neighborhood block party."

The survey of 1,350 adults, conducted by leading polling firms Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Inc. and The Tarrance Group, was part of a multiphase project that also included one-on-one interviews with local activitsts and small-group interviews with citizens around the country.

"One of the key factors in whether people are going to get involved nowadays is whether they feel they are oging to be able to make a difference," said pollster Celinda Lake of Lake Snell Perry & Associates Inc. " We found that by and large, Americans believe they can be most effective in small groups working on specific issues. Accordingly, people are spending more time solving neighborhood problems than trying to influence politicians."

Pollster Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group added that the implications for traditional political organizations may be profound. "During the next few years, I believe we're going to witness a sea change in the way political parties and similar organizations do business," Goeas said. "People are busier than ever, and are very careful about how they spend their time. Before they commit to becoming involved, they want to be sure that they can do so on their terms, around their schedules. They also want specific details on what benefits will be gained through their involvement, and information about the organiations who are recruiting them."

According to the survey, a new form of involvement seems to be emerging as American heads into a new century--a form that reflects the daily pressures that people feel to juggle the multiple tasks and responsibilities of daily life. Community engagement is localized, personalized and tends to be channeled through individual and group-based activities rather than through established organizations.

In general, Americans register more positive feelings about the direction of their communities than about the nation as a whole, though a number see problems as well. A majority feel they can make at least some difference in solving community problems, and, interestingly, do not limit their concept of community to geography; shared values often play a role.

The report also identified barriers to community involvement, including the perceptions that engagement requires a high level of knowledge and demands a significant, inflexible time commitment. People also fear that their work will not have an impact. Strategies for overcoming these barriers include creating flexible volunteer schedules and developing activities that families can participate in together. Organizations seeking to mobilize volunteers should be certain to provide concrete details about the beneficial impact of their efforts, as well as information about the organization itself.