Oklahoma is known as the Heartland, not only because of our geographic location, but because of Oklahoman's strong reliance on meaningful relationships for social, political, and personal connectedness. Connecting with others is a major civic indicator identied by the national Civic Health Index . Also, connecting with others is a key way Oklahomans maintain ties, share information, and solve problems. Following national trends, Oklahomans who are more “connected” are more likely to perform other services such as volunteering or xing something in the neighborhood.

NATIONAL TRENDS IN OKLAHOMA
Nationally, unemployed Americans are slightly more likely to be connected with family and neighbors (18.7%) than unemployed Americans (14.2%). Despite Oklahoma's relatively lower unemployment rate, we continue to value and seek out opportunities to connect to others. National trends also indicate that those high in private sociability (35%) are more likely to express political voice in one or more ways than those low on this dimension (11.1%). In Oklahoma, despite our relatively high private sociability, we are less likely to express political voice in direct ways. For example, while Americans who are less connected are far less likely to vote, Oklahoma residents are slightly more connected but relatively less likely to vote.

EATING DINNER WITH FAMILY MEMBERS
In terms of connecting with others, 92.3% of Oklahomans report that they eat dinner with their family at least a few times per week. It is very clear that Oklahomans value family mealtime and have a desire for sociability and maintaining family connections. Therefore, we can conclude that while Oklahomans tend to spend more time than most states eating meals with family, this practice does not result in our talking more about politics than other states.

EXCHANGING FAVORS WITH NEIGHBORS AND TALKING WITH FRIENDS
Another notable indicator of civic health in Oklahoma is the relationships citizens foster with their neighbors. These kinds of social actions help strengthen communities across the state. Oklahoma ranks 20th nationwide in the number of people 18 years and older who exchange favors with neighbors a few times a week or more. This rate of 16.9% compares with the national average of 16%. Oklahomans also report talking with neighbors several times a week or more at a rate of 41.7%, whereas the national rate is 45.8%.

COMMUNICATING WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS BY EMAIL OR THE INTERNET
Oklahomans communicate with friends and family by email or the Internet at a rate of 50.3%. This compares with a national rate of 53.6%. Therefore, Oklahomans are less likely than other states to communicate electronically with family and friends.

In summary, Oklahomans eat dinner with family and exchange favors with neighbors more than the national average, but use email or the Internet to talk to family and friends and talk with neighbors less often than the national average. They talk politics at about the same rate as the national average. When activities are grouped into a category called private sociability, only 16.6% of residents are connected and exchange favors and 9% have weak ties with others in Oklahoma. These numbers seem remarkably low despite being consistent with the national trends.