civic engagement san francisco state university€¦ · civic engagement at san francisco state...
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Civic Engagement at
San Francisco State University
Berkeley Miller, Ph.D. Director, Academic Institutional Research
October 5, 2009
Survey Development
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• Measure institutional impact over the course of an undergraduate experience with respect to: – Preparation for success in the workplace – Preparation for civic engagement – Acquisition of global skills
• Field Tested at 13 institutions, including SFSU
SFSU Administration
• Administered to freshmen, Fall 2008
• To seniors, Spring 2009
• Re-weighted to reflect gender, race/ethnicity & class-levels of respondents
Respondents by Gender & Class Level
Class Level Gender
TotalWomen Men
First‐time Freshmen
Count Row %
550 66.9%
272 33.1%
822 100.0%
Seniors Count Row %
645 55.7%
512 44.3%
1,157 100.0%
Total Count Row %
1,195 60.4%
784 39.6%
1,979 100.0%
Political Involvement
Survey Questions Government Level
Student Local State Federal Are you Registered to vote? Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Informed myself about (Read or watched news, watched debates, attended rallies, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Discussed political issues about (Joined a political organization, blogged, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Promoted a candidate for (Wore campaign button, gave money, joined Facebook group, displayed bumper sticker, etc.)
Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Worked on a campaign in (Registered voters, volunteered, canvassed a neighborhood, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Voted Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Political Involvement
Informed Myself About: 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt
Political Involvement
Discussed Political Issues About: 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt
Political Involvement
Promoted a Candidate In: 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
Freshmen 40.0% Seniors
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt
Political Involvement
90.0%
Worked on a Campaign In:
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
40.0%
50.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt
Political Involvement
Voted 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt
Civic Engagement How Frequently Activity How Effectively
Never Rarely Some‐times Often
Not able to do
effectively
Able to do somewhat effectively
Able to do
effectively 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5
Create a plan to address an issue or a problem in your community (campus, local, etc.) Raise awareness about an issue or a problem Organize a group to address an issue or problem Identify others who could help deal with an issue or a problem in your community
Present your opinion about an issue in the media (for example, blog, email, radio call‐in, letter to editor ) Organize a petition
Civic Engagement: Frequency
Sometimes & Often 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Create a plan Raise Organize a Identify others Present your Organize a One or More awareness group opinion petition (Rarely to
Often)
Civic Engagement: Effectiveness Somewhat Effectively to Effectively
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
Create a plan Raise awareness Organize a group Identify others Present your Organize a opinion petition
Beliefs About Community
People should not try to make a contribution to their community
1 2 3 4 5 6 People should try to make a contribution to their community
People cannot play important role in making the world better 1 2 3 4 5 6
People can play important role in making the world better
By working together, people cannot influence decisions that affect their community
1 2 3 4 5 6 By working together, people can influence decisions that affect their community
Communicating with decision‐makers does not help people solve problems facing their community
1 2 3 4 5 6
Communicating with decision‐makers helps people solve problems facing their community
During the past 12 months, did you participate in activities to help others? Yes No
Beliefs About Community
Effectively (Top Two Categories) 90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
People make a People play Work together Communication Participated in contribution important role influences decisions solves problems activites
Social Justice: Work in Groups of People Who Differ from Me
Frequency and Effectiveness 100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
.0%
Freshmen
Seniors
Frequently: Work with different people Effectively: Work with different people
Summary: Political Involvement • Informed Myself & Discussed Political Issues
– Frosh more involved in student government, seniors more involved at local, state, & federal levels
– Differences usually statistically significant
• Promoted Candidate & Worked on Campaign • Frosh more involved at all government levels • Differences usually statistically significant
• Voting • Frosh more in student government; seniors at other
levels; all differences statistically significant • But freshman may not have had the opportunity to vote
Summary: Civic Engagement
• Frequency – Frosh more engaged than seniors; Four activities have
statistically significant differences (Create a plan, Identify others, Present your opinion, Organize a petition)
• Effectiveness – Both freshman and seniors report high levels of
effectiveness, but senior have higher levels
– These differences are statistically significant except for Organize a group
Summary: Community Beliefs
• Large majorities (80%-90%) of freshmen and seniors believe people working together can make a difference in communities; no statistically significant differences
• About 45% of freshmen & seniors reported participating in activities to help others during the past 12 months; no statistically significant differences
Social Justice
• Large majorities of freshmen (83%) and seniors (90%) say they frequently work with diverse others; these differences are statistically significant
• Even larger majorities say they work Somewhat Effectively to Effectively with these diverse others; these differences also are statistically significant