Overview of the Greater Seattle Civic Health

Index, 2010

Presented by:

Diane Douglas, Executive Director, CityClub

Agenda / Today’s Discussion

• What is Civic Health and why is it important to measure and improve it?

• How greater Seattle compares to the US

• The importance of education in achieving civic health

• Call to Action: What you can do to improve the civic health of Greater Seattle

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“Civic Engagement” Is Defined

• Any act that helps build community.

• Can be formal or informal, ranging from voting to doing favors for neighbors.

• Greater Seattle Civic Health was assessed using the following metrics:a) Volunteering

b) Neighborliness

c) Belonging to groups

d) Philanthropy

e) Political voice

f) Voting

© CityClub. All Rights Reserved. 3Sources: Civic Life in America, 2010, Issue Brief, NCOC;Greater Seattle Health Index, 2010, NCOC

Purpose of Measuring Civic Health of Greater Seattle

• To understand the civic health of our community now and help set goals to improve it.

• Collecting and understanding data helps identify what is motivating people who are already engaged, and recognize areas for improvement.

• The makeup of greater Seattle is constantly changing. Our challenge is to figure out new ways to reach underrepresented demographics - particularly young and foreign born populations - to ensure that they are involved in, and recognize their stake in their community.

• Meeting the needs of our ever-changing community requires increasing and creating new opportunities for engagement.

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Greater Seattle is currently “civically healthier” than U.S.

Civic Activity King, Pierce, Snohomish Cos. US

Volunteering 35.7% 26.8%

Group Membership 46.8% 35.1%

Talking with family/friends via Internet

70.5% 53.6%

Contributing $25 or more 60.3% 50.0%

Engaged in one or more non-electoral political act

40.2% 21.6%

© CityClub. All Rights Reserved. 5Source: Figure 1, Seattle Health Index, 2010, NCOCUS is nation’s 51 largest metropolitan areas

Greater Seattle has many civic assets

• Educated citizens dominate civic engagement– 54% of adults in the City of Seattle have a college degree; this is

the highest in the nation

• High rate of belonging to groups – The Rotary Club of Seattle is 4th oldest in country and largest in the

world, with numerous other Rotary Clubs sprouting locally

• Strong ethic of corporate citizenship and philanthropy

• Availability of broadband Internet access connects citizens to their community by paving the path to information, education and action – City of Tacoma first in nation to provide alternative Internet

access; number of customers increased 1300% in ten years

© CityClub. All Rights Reserved. 6Source: Seattle Health Index, 2010, NCOC

But, our civic vitality can easily turn into civic decay

• Our civic vitality is largely due to our educated population, but Washington State is not living up to its constitutional mandate to provide adequate funding for its public schools and currently ranks 37th among states in awarding bachelor degrees.

– Having some college experience more than doubles the likelihood that someone will participate in at least one political act and be involved with any group than someone who has no college experience

– Someone who graduates college is more than twice as likely than someone who graduates high school but does not go to college to volunteer or make a donation of $25 or more

• High school graduates are more likely to be civically engaged than those who do not graduate, so it is imperative to gain strong support for public education, and correct the disparities that exist for minority and low income youth:

– 71% of King County high school students graduate

– <50% of King County black & Hispanic students graduate

– Only about 40% of all greater Seattle high school students go on to attend college

© CityClub. All Rights Reserved. 7Source: Shaw, Linda. “School Funding Gets an F; Judge Calls for Action” The Seattle Times 2010 Feb. 4

Improving civic health is necessary to strengthen our community

• Teaching civic skills to Seattle youth improves long term civic leadership and connection to community.

• Youth of greater Seattle are more likely to continue their education, and pursue higher education, if they are civically active and have a sense of being tied to their community.

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New methods for reaching all citizens are necessary

• Seattle has a rising immigrant population and has also become a popular “first move” city.

• The changing population of greater Seattle makes it necessary to find new ways to reach and engage these groups and ensure that new citizens are civically engaged.

• New methods are needed to encourage the young and foreign born populations to become civically involved. Opportunities should be inclusive and can be as simple as expanding voter registration sites to include cultural festivals and libraries.

• Those who are able should be asked by their community to volunteer. The diversity of those who are asked to volunteer should represent the diversity of our population.

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“I want to improve my city’s Civic Health. I can…”

• Volunteer and convey to friends, family, and others the great value that it has to our community.

• Advocate for education reform and support teaching civics in K-12 classrooms.

• Ensure that all greater Seattle newcomers are welcomed to their new city, town, or neighborhood; connection to community breeds engaged citizens!

• Recognize, count, and celebrate service to the community, no matter what form it takes. There is a positive relationship between citizens’ sense of empowerment and their willingness to contribute to their community.

• Encourage social responsibility of corporations and recognize the corporations in our region that are committing time, leadership, and money to support community activities.

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“I want to improve my city’s Civic Health. I can…”

• Request a CityClub speaker to address my organization, or speak at an event about the civic health of greater Seattle and how to improve it.

• Set a goal for how I and/or my organization can improve civic health in greater Seattle, based on the detailed recommendations in the Civic Health Index. Keep track of any positive changes you have made or have seen and share them with CityClub so they can be highlighted in CityClub events and media.

• Share the Civic Health Index with your peers.

• Read the full report online at: SeattleCityClub.org/publications

• Learn more!

CityClub:

www.SeattleCityClub.org

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