The events of the last few years are reshaping the way Americans think about several important issues explored in the 2009 America's Civic Health Index . This section details some of the questions and results from last year that were not collected in 2010, but that provide a context for assessing Arizona's civic health and exploring the way forward.

LOSS OF CONFIDENCE: The lack of confidence that Americans express in government and other major institutions is a growing concern. The 2009 America's Civic Health Index asked questions about the level of trust and confidence citizens have in the major institutions of society at the national level.

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE: Americans may be reacting to the economic recession by focusing on their own nances, but they are also providing food and shelter to family and friends. While these acts of generosity are not captured by traditional volunteer and charitable giving rates, they are an important indicator that was documented in the 2009 America's Civic Health Index.

WILLING TO DO MORE: In addition to measuring and tracking citizen engagement, NCoC seeks opportunities to promote and increase it. The 2009 America's Civic Health Index asked Americans how willing they would be to become more involved. On this survey, Americans were more willing to choose individual activities than they were to choose an activity that involved working with others, such as engaging in political activism or volunteering.

POLICY INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE CIVIC EDUCATION: The 2009 America's Civic Health Index asked Americans to rate a set of six policies that could prepare younger people for citizenship. As the results indicate, many ideas were popular and worthy of more
discussion among leaders and citizens.

In Arizona, groups such as the Arizona Division for Community and Youth Development, the Governor's P–20 Council and the Arizona Vision for Youth Taskforce are advocating for increased resources for service–learning and youth civic engagement. However, Arizona has not made any signicant changes in civic education policy in recent years.

POLICY INCENTIVES TO INCREASE CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT: Through laws and policies, government can either encourage or frustrate citizen involvement in public life. The 2009 America's Civic Health Index asked Americans to rate nine incentives that might encourage citizen engagement and help leaders better understand what would motivate people to get involved. In general, NCoC found that younger generations were more likely to respond to incentives than older generations.

Although Arizona was not a participant in the 2009 America's Civic Health Index , NCoC has provided the 2009 questions and nationwide responses to the Center. Arizonans can take the short surveys online at www.TheArizonaWeWant.org . Results will be made public on the website.

CONVENIENCE VOTING: Another signicant national trend involves the many efforts being made at the state level to make voting easier and more convenient. Voter registration deadlines have been moved closer to election day in some states, with nine states now offering some form of Election Day registration. Online voter registration is becoming more common. In Arizona, online voter registration is available through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and requires either a valid Arizona driver license or non–operating identication issued by the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division. Twenty–six states, including Arizona, offer both “no excuse” early voting and “no excuse” absentee voting. The Arizona Civic Health Index shows that Arizonans are using the opportunities provided and voting early and voting by mail.

The political implications surrounding convenience voting practices on voter turnout and the composition of the electorate is an area of increasing concern and study. 9

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Note: Graphs demonstrating these trends are not displayed here, but available in the report or the 2009 America's Civic Health Index