The most powerful force in American democracy is the connection among citizens. The Civic Health Assessment aims to deepen our understanding of these bonds and how Americans are working together to build healthier and stronger communities and a more vibrant democracy.

In the true spirit of America, every culture contributes to our society's rich tapestry. In 2008, African–Americans led the way in voting, Caucasians in group membership and volunteering. Latinos were strong in neighborly activities, multiracial citizens were the most politically active, women volunteered more than men, and those who served our country in uniform rose above the rest in many categories of civic engagement.

In these tough economic times, Americans are rolling up their sleeves, gathering with neighbors, and helping to solve the problems facing their communities. In 2008 and 2009, nearly 60% of citizens reached out to help their neighbors at least once a month, and 1 in 6 do so almost every day.

The road to engagement starts at the dinner table. 89% of Americans sit down to dinner with members of their households several times each week. We know that family dinners boost the health and well–being of children, particularly adolescents, by cultivating parent–child relationships. These close ties provide important venues to discuss civic matters such as politics, religion, and current events. Whether at the table or otherwise, nearly 3 in 4 people discuss political affairs with their families and friends at least once a month.

Americans with more education dominate civic engagement. High school graduates are more than twice as likely to vote or belong to a group and three times as likely to volunteer or work with neighbors to solve problems than those who never completed high school. College graduates are significantly more engaged than high school graduates and those with some college education. Those with a bachelor's degree are nearly five times more likely to volunteer than high school dropouts.

The civic activity that is least dependent on educational attainment is exchanging favors with neighbors: 50% of those who never completed high school, 58% of high school graduates, and 65% of college graduates help out neighbors. This activity, a component of “social capital,” is also the most similar across racial backgrounds.

Because educational attainment is the greatest predictor of future engagement, all efforts should be undertaken to foster a culture of college completion, not just access. To reinforce civic habits and educate more Americans on the importance of civic participation, a stronger focus should be placed on the teaching of American history and civic learning.

The ironic loneliness of cities can be seen through the lack of connection among neighbors in urban areas compared with their suburban and rural counterparts. The largest division we see in neighborly activity is between those in urban settings, where 51% of residents exchanges favors with neighbors, versus rural environments where over 62% does so.

Those who assume leadership roles in community groups are highly involved in all other forms of civic engagement, but make up just 8.5% of our total population. Two–thirds (66%) of these leaders express political voice in one or more ways, about 75% volunteer, and 28% work with neighbors to fix or improve something. These rates are 150–200% higher than other members of groups and 500–700% higher than citizens who are not members of any community groups.

Living in a rural community may provide both the opportunity and the need to take a leadership role in the community, 10% of Americans who live in rural areas are leaders, compared with 7% in urban areas.

Americans have boosted their volunteer rates but still remain below the levels after 9/11. In 2009's hard economic times, more than one–fifth of unemployed Americans regularly volunteered. More than one–fourth of Americans regularly volunteered through an organization, serving mostly through religious organizations, and the most educated led the way. Between 2008 and 2009, volunteering saw the largest increase since 2003, but the overall volunteering rate still remains lower than it was in 2001–2005.

Boomers, not Millennials, set the civic pace. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are currently the most engaged generation, in part because they have reached the time of life when engagement typically peaks. Boomers lead all other generations in every civic activity except voting, where those over 65 are the most engaged. Millennials (those currently ages 16 to 30) show promise, though. They are volunteering at higher rates than Boomers did when they were the same age Millennials are now, and growing up online may prove to have a strong positive effect on their future engagement levels.

Most Americans still get their news from multiple sources, particularly television. Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans frequently get their news from television or television websites like CNN.com, more than two–thirds from newspapers or newspaper websites like NYTimes.com, and more than half from radio or radio websites like NPR.org. Fewer than two in 10 Americans frequently get their news from other Internet sources such as blogs that are not run by a major media outlet.

Being disconnected from information altogether (or not accessing information often) clearly interferes with civic engagement, those who do not consume news are far less likely to be engaged in all indicators of civic engagement.

But the Internet appears to build civic health. As technology becomes a larger part of our daily lives, questions have been raised about its impact on our civic health. Does technology force social isolation behind computer screens or mobile devices, or does it provide more convenient outlets to take civic action, stay connected and informed, and express political views? More metrics of “eCitizenship” should be developed in order to assess its impact fully, but early indicators find those who go online on a regular basis are more likely to be involved in offline communities as well. This could be particularly significant for Millennials and those younger because these generations have grown up with access to mobile and online technologies.

In addition to research on technology's impact, ensuring access to broadband–quality Internet connections should be high priority.