It is very important that participation in civic and political affairs be as representative as possible. Participation brings benefits to communities and confers power on those who engage. Civic engagement also benefits individuals, helping them to flourish in other aspects of life. If only privileged Americans dominate in civil society, our communities will suffer and we will lose the full range of voices and energies.

Education marks the great gap in civic participation today. Overall, the differences by race, ethnicity, and gender are small. But this study, like much previous research, finds that Americans with more years of education are more likely to participate in politics and civil society: in fact, that is the "best documented finding in American political behavior research." 9 The one bright spot is that education is less correlated with Internet-based civic activities than with other forms of civic participation. Although there are challenges to making Internet-based participation as beneficial to participants (for instance, online "communities" are more transient and dispersed, and it may be harder to build trust online), the Internet may still provide an opportunity to strengthen and equalize civic participation.

In this report, we classify people in four categories of educational attainment:

• Less than a high school diploma or a High School degree

• Some college experience, but no degree

• A degree, but no graduate school experience

• Graduate experience or a graduate degree

Overall, the more educated are more engaged in their communities and have a strong sense of political and social efficacy. Education correlates especially strongly with deliberation and engagement in citizen-centered activities. Those with less education are almost as likely as their more educated counterparts to participate in Internet civic activities, regardless of their age.


Connectedness
According to the survey, the more educated and less educated are equally connected to their families. However, people with more education tended to grow up in families with more discussion of politics. Their parents were more likely to encourage them to express opinions and were more active in their communities. The most educated also are more likely to discuss politics with their friends than those who are less educated.


Citizen-Centered activities
Educational attainment and the extent and frequency of engagement in citizen-centered activities are strongly positively correlated. Those with the lowest levels of educational attainment are the most disconnected from their communities, while those with graduate experience are most connected, often working with others to address issues in their communities.


Least Educated Show Appetite for More Engagement
Furthermore, those with more education are leaders in their communities, being more likely to say they had helped start an organization than those with no college education. The least educated are least likely to say they have a place to go to discuss community issues, but they are just as likely as college graduates to want to get involved if more opportunities were available.

The least educated are the least politically efficacious. They are more likely than their more educated counterparts to say government is "complicated and hard to understand," and they are more likely to say people like them do not have a say in what the government does. This lack of efficacy is reflected in lower levels of political involvement. Compared to those who have more education, the least educated are the least likely to be registered to vote, vote regularly, be mobilized in an election, or participate in political activities like attending rallies. They are the also least likely to have tried to persuade others in the last election how to vote or wear a campaign button.

This lack of efficacy is also reflected in expression of voice. The least educated are the least likely to say they have expressed their opinion, either through contacting a newspaper or consumer activism.


The Military-Community Service Gap between the Least & Better Educated
With regard to national service, the less educated are more likely to agree that military service is a personally important way to serve the nation. The more educated are more likely to see community service as an important way to serve the nation.