One of the most compelling insights in the Arizona Civic Health Index is the synergy that takes place in communities where citizens are both highly educated and strongly connected to one another. Social connectedness is dened in two ways—the degree to which people connect with one another personally and the degree to which they connect to a broader social network by participating in groups and organizations.

The combination of education and social connectedness creates a political/civic infrastructure in much the same way that modern transportation facilities, water and energy resources create the physical infrastructure for success in the 21st century.

In Joel Kotkin's The Next 100 Million: America in 2050 , he writes about “cities of aspiration” that offer upward mobility to people hoping to improve their economic condition. Decentralized cities like Houston, Atlanta and Phoenix offer a new model of urbanism that has resulted in unprecedented growth. According to Kotkin, the trend in Phoenix illustrates the shift taking place nationally. Although several new city center developments have been built in recent years, growth continues to occur more in the surrounding outer rings than in the inner core. Kotkin notes that the outer rings are moving farther and farther from the historic city center because of vast land resources and technology, creating clusters of communities with their own identities and self–sufcient services that don't require high–density living. Kotkin predicts the successful communities of the future will be those that pay close attention to what he calls the “smaller units” of life—the interactions that build family,revitalize neighborhoods, move people out of poverty and transform them into informed and competent citizens.

CONNECTING WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
When the Gallup Arizona Poll was released in October 2009, one troubling result was the lack of connection Arizonans feel to one another. Only 12% of Arizonans “strongly agree” that people in our communities care about each other. This sense of isolation is also seen in the Arizona Civic Health Index . The percentage of people in our state who are not actively connected to others is notably high when compared with the national average on four key measures.

EATING DINNER WITH FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER: Arizona ranks 45th in the nation for those who say they eat dinner with a family or household member at least a few times a week. Nationally, 59% of those who eat dinner with family every day voted in 2008, more than double the estimate for people who do not.

EXCHANGING FAVORS WITH NEIGHBORS: Arizona ranks 48th in the nation for people who say they trade favors with neighbors at least a few times a week—watching one another's children, lending tools or kitchen supplies, house–sitting and other acts of kindness. More than 91% of Americans say they have close ties with families and neighbors directly or via technologies such as email and the Internet, but a much smaller group (15.9%) do favors
for neighbors on a regular basis.

The Index identies two measures, eating dinner with family and exchanging favors with neighbors, as key indicators of how actively Arizonans are connecting with others. But it is even more telling to note the percentages that report no participation. Specically, 25% of Arizonans say they never talk to neighbors, and 49% say they never trade favors with neighbors.

In the future, communities that focus on social connectedness, education and participatory citizenship will thrive in the 21st century. Given modern technology, these opportunities are now available in suburban areas and smaller communities throughout Arizona as well as in more traditional cities.

Strong human connections are known to have positive effects on personal health and well–being, and the Arizona Civic Health Index nds that people who are more strongly connected are also more likely to vote, volunteer and participate in other civic activities.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Help neighborhoods plan and implement their own solutions to community issues.
• In Arizona, those who are least likely to share dinner frequently with family are Latinos, those who are single(never married) and those with less education and income.
• Arizonans who are least likely to trade favors with neighbors are those who are single, employed full–time, have incomes between $50,000 and $75,000, those with only a high school education, and 18– to 29–year olds.
• Arizonans who live in the metropolitan areas of the state are more likely to say they are personally connected to others. Tucson residents report the highest rate of eating dinner with family (95.1%), considerably higher than the national average and 10 percentage points higher than estimates for rural residents. The rate for the Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale MSA is 84.5%. Tucson also reports the highest rate for trading favors with neighbors (18.8%), four percentage points higher than the urban corridor as a whole and nine percentage points higher than rural areas. The rate for the Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale MSA is 12.6%.

2. Encourage the use of technology.
• Staying in close communication with family and friends via email and the Internet is emerging as another indicator of civic engagement. Nationally, 78.2% of Americans who report using email daily for personal communication voted in the 2008 election, compared
with 55.7% of those who do not use the Internet.
• In Arizona, 62.6% of the state's youngest voters (18– to 29–year olds) use the Internet to talk to family and friends a few times a week or more. An estimated 23% also report getting news from Internet blogs and chat rooms at least several times a week. These higher rates support the finding that younger voters in Arizona are interested in politics, but are not as likely to express their views through voting or participating in public meetings.

PARTICIPATING IN GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS
In Democracy in America , Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in 1835 that active participation and leadership in citizen organizations are the building blocks of a civil society and essential to democracy's success in America. Slightly more than 35% of all Americans are members of at least one organization, the most common way for people to afliate with others around a common interest or cause.

Participation among Arizonans is fairly close to the national average on all measures, with slightly higher estimates for the number of people who say they served in a leadership role during the last year. A noticeable difference in Arizona is that people are more likely to belong to a service or civic organization and they are less likely to be involved in organized religion.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Increase participation for everyone, including men.
• Women join groups and organizations at a higher rate than men. An estimated 39.2% of all Arizona women belong to one or more groups, 10 percentage points higher than estimates for men and ve percentage points higher than the national average.
• An estimated 25.5% of Latinos are members of at least one organization, 12 percentage points lower than estimates for other ethnicities.
• Membership increases with income and age. An estimated 21.7% of those with incomes below $35,000 say they belong to a group, 14 percentage points lower than estimates for citizens with incomes between $35,000 and $50,000. More than 42% of people age 65+ belong to organizations.
• Overall, 64.1% of Arizonans say they do not belong to any organization, attend no group meetings and have not served as an ofcer or committee member. This is relatively high compared to the national average of 60.7%.

2. Build on the willingness of Arizonans to serve as civic leaders.
• Women serve as leaders in organizations at a higher rate than men. A total of 12.2% of Arizona women say they have served in a leadership role in the last year, which is approximately three percentage points higher than estimates for men and two percentage points higher than the national average.
• Nearly 20% of Arizona's college graduates (age 25+) say they are playing a leadership role in an organization, seven percentage points higher than estimates for those with some college experience and 14 percentage points higher than estimates for high school graduates.

At 34.3%, Arizona ranks 33rd in the nation for the number of people who belong to one or more organizations. Membership is dened as participation in a group that meets at least once a month.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CHARITABLE GIVING
VOLUNTEERING: Service is a deeply rooted value in America, and recent studies indicate that volunteerism is on the rise, especially among younger people. According to Volunteering in America , Arizona has 1.2 million volunteers who contribute more than 168 million hours of service annually (2007–2009) 7 . Arizona ranks 36th in the nation on this measure.

When Arizonans volunteer, they contribute more time per year than the national average—55.9% say they volunteer 12 weeks or more annually. Arizonans give less time to religious organizations and social/civic organizations than the national average, and more time to educational organizations and those serving children.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Build on the willingness of Arizonans to give more time.
• This is a social strength that can build civic engagement in communities throughout the state. Gen X Arizonans (ages 30 to 45) and Baby Boomers have the highest estimated rates of volunteering at 27%, slightly above the national average of 26.8%.
2. Explore the possibility of providing incentives to younger volunteers and high school graduates.
• Although service–learning is not required for Arizona students, opportunities for civic engagement among high school students exist throughout the school system. Incentives being considered in some states include making service–learning a requirement for high school graduation.
• Offering tuition credits to college students for community service is another incentive being discussed. Arizona's college graduates have the highest rate of volunteerism at 38.2%, eight percentage points above estimates for those with some college experience and 20 percentage points above estimates for those with a high school diploma.

WORKING WITH NEIGHBORS TO FIX SOMETHING IN THE COMMUNITY: In addition to formal volunteerism, the Arizona Civic Health Index measures informal ways that citizens work together to solve community problems. Arizona ranks 34th in the nation on
this measure.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Provide opportunities for people to identify and x a local problem.
• Demographic groups in Arizona with higher participation estimates include people who are employed part–time (9.0%), married people (11.0%), those who have served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces (11.0%), and those with college experience (11.5%).
• Demographic groups in Arizona with lower participation estimates include single people (2.8%), those who are unemployed (3.7%), younger people 18– to 29–years old (3.2%) and those with a high school education (5.9%).

PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY MEETINGS: Traditionally, the town meeting has played a critical role in America's public life—from statewide meetings like Arizona Town Hall to a variety of endeavors at the local level. The goal is to convene citizens from diverse backgrounds to discuss issues that affect everyone. Town meetings give citizens the chance to express their opinions and concerns about community issues directly to leaders and, equally important, to listen to one another. In addition to asking Arizonans if they have attended a public meeting about political issues, the survey also asks Arizonans if they have attended a public meeting dealing with local community issues. Arizona ranks 41st
in the nation on this measure.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Encourage all Arizonans to participate in local community meetings.
• Latinos participate in community meetings at half the rate of other ethnicities.
• Single (never married) Arizonans participate at half the rate of their married peers.
• Younger people (ages 18 to 29) participate at half the rate of Baby Boomers and Arizonans age 65+.

GIVING TO CHARITY: According to Giving USA, American giving reached a record high in 2007 when donations totaled $314 billion. In 2008, charitable giving dropped to $308 billion, a two percent decrease. Because 75% of donations are made by individuals, the economy tends to drive giving in Arizona and the nation. 8 The Arizona Civic Health Index ranks Arizona 38th in the number of individuals who gave at least $25 to charity in 2008–2009.

Opportunities for Arizona:
1. Encourage all levels and types of giving.
• Philanthropy increases with education, income and age. Participation rates for these groups range from estimates of 67% for college graduates to 72% for high–income individuals. Participation among those who have served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces is estimated at nearly 70%.
• Although people of modest means are less likely to make charitable contributions, they often give in other ways, such as providing food and shelter to relatives and close friends. This means of helping is increasing nationally during the economic recession.

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Note: Not all report graphs are able to be displayed here, but available by downloading the report.