Regular participation in community life is one of the building blocks of a successful democracy. the Civic Health Index uses a set of five indicators to measure citizen movement. The following two–year comparisons show civic participation decreasing nationally on four indicators. Arizona lost ground on group memberships and volunteerism but improved on three others.

11. Attend Community Meetings About Local Issues (age 16+)



What Happened? Arizona was one of 11 states that increased citizen attendance at community meetings, and now exceeds the national average. Mississippi and Missouri experienced similar increases, moving up in the rankings to 27th and 28th respectively.

2011 Top 10: Montana, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, District of Columbia, Washington, Alaska

The Cultural Divide: 29.4% of Arizona's population is Latino according to U.S. Census data. Although this citizen group reports lower than average participation for belonging to groups and attending a community meeting, Latino participation is now close to the state average for discussing politics and talking to neighbors. Latinos exceed the state average for having dinner with family members.

The Arizona We Want Goal: Increase citizen participation in community meetings by a minimum 4.5 percentage points (the difference between Arizona and #10 Alaska), especially among citizen groups reporting participation below the state average.

12. Work with Neighbors to Fix or Improve Something (age 16+)



What Happened? Arizona was one of 15 states reporting an increase this year. The indicator has only been tracked nationally since 2006, and this is the first time Arizona has exceeded the national average.

2011 Top 10: Vermont, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Utah, Alaska, District of Columbia, Wyoming, Washington

The Arizona We Want Goal: Increase citizen involvement with neighbors by a minimum 4.4 percentage points (the difference between Arizona and #10 Washington), especially among citizen groups reporting participation below the state average.

13. Belong to One or More Groups (age 16+)


What Happened? Arizona was among 33 states that lost ground this year for group participation, dropping from 33rd to 40th in the nation. Other states gained in the rankings. Nebraska, for example, moved from 18th to 1st with an increase of 6 percentage points.

2011 Top 10: Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Alaska, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, Washington.

Group Participation: In Arizona, citizens report participation in the following types of organizations school, neighborhood or community associations (10.5%), service or civic associations (5.5%), sports or recreation associations (11.1%), religious institutions (17.5%) and other (5.4%). A total of 8.4% said they served in a leadership role in 2010, compared to 17% for #1 ranked South Dakota.

The Arizona We Want Goal: Increase citizen involvement in groups and organizations by a minimum 9.2 percentage points (the difference between Arizona and #10 Washington), especially among citizens groups reporting participation below the state average.

14. Volunteered in Last 12 Months (age 16+)



What Happened? Only 12 states reported an increase this year. The increases range from 2% to 5% with Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Mississippi and New Mexico moving up in the rankings by at least 10 ranking positions.

2011 Top 10: Utah, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Vermont, Idaho, Washington

The Arizona We Want Goal: Increase volunteering in Arizona by a minimum 9 percentage points (the difference between Arizona and #10 Washington), especially among citizen groups reporting participation below the state average.


15. Made Charitable Contribution of $25 or more (Age 16+)



What Happened? Although the national average remained constant at 50%, Arizona was one of 23 states reporting an increase in charitable giving this year. Arkansas citizens reported the largest increase (13.3%), moving them from 51st last year to 33rd.

2011 Top 10: Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, Washington, Kansas, Connecticut, Colorado, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Idaho

The Arizona We Want Goal: Increase charitable giving in Arizona by a minimum 6.1 percentage points (the difference between Arizona and #10 Idaho), especially among citizen groups reporting participation below the state average.