Chicagoland's civic health is on life support. This report identies the symptoms of the region's failure to prepare its youngest citizens for their civic responsibilities as adults, and the effects of endemic political corruption that breeds widespread cynicism and disengagement. It is published by the National Conference on Citizenship and supported by the McCormick Foundation.

Chicagoland, 1 encompassing both the City of Chicago and surrounding suburban counties, boasts a rich community of organizations and institutions committed to civic education and engagement. However, their work is made exponentially more difcult by the abandonment of its schools' civic missions and apathy that extends throughout citizens' lives. Across the nation, high–stakes testing focuses solely on reading and math skills, which are critical for career– and college–readiness, but crowd out schools' historic role in the political socialization of young people for their adult roles as citizens in a representative democracy. Local school funding shortfalls have further narrowed the curriculum, casting off veteran teachers and precluding students from formative civic engagement opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.

The current recession has exacted its own toll on Chicagoland's civic health, as the region's higher–than–average unemployment rate precludes citizens from volunteering in their communities and engaging in political activities. Widespread gun violence continues to cripple the city, fraying the fabric of the city's social networks and breeding collective fear. Political corruption permeates state and local politics, making the term “Chicago politics” synonymous nationally with patronage hiring, insider deals, and an utter lack of transparency.

It's no wonder then that Chicagoland residents shun civic and political engagement. The report that follows will highlight how Chicago compares with Illinois and the nation on measures of voting, volunteerism, expression of political voice, and voluntary financial contributions to civic causes. It will also speak to the prevalence of social capital in the region, exploring the tendencies of local citizens to join groups, connect with one another more informally, and remain attentive to the news and engage with others in discussions of current events. Each measurement is broken down by generational cohort, providing evidence of the state of civic emergency that cripples the region as its youngest residents are the least civically engaged. When relevant, socioeconomic disparities centering on race, income, and education are also highlighted.

While the Chicago region trails the state and nation on many of these measures, there remains reason for optimism. The Illinois Civic Mission Coalition and its member organizations have made signicant progress in reviving the civic mission of schools throughout the state. It is the hope of the Coalition that the next cohort of regional and state residents will be known not for their political apathy but instead as a generation deeply committed to advancing the civic health of communities statewide. This report concludes with detailed policy suggestions and documentation of the progress of the Coalition to date.