“It depends on where you live.” — Community–conversation participant

People from all walks of life contribute to a community's civic health. Some cultural groups are active as group members. Some tend to vote more than others. People from still other cultures help one another out in the community more. All of this adds to a community's civic health.

African American Maryland citizens were signicantly more likely to both be registered (78.2%) and to vote (74.4%) compared with Caucasian Maryland citizens (73.2% registered and 67.1% voted).

Though they turned out to the polls at the highest rates, African American Marylanders were not as likely as their Caucasian counterparts to engage in a political act beyond voting (25.4% vs. 31.3%).

In terms of social capital and connectedness, Caucasian Marylanders were the most likely to say that they had dinner with household members almost every day (65.9%). Latinos were the second most likely (60.3%).

Additionally, 45.6% African American Marylanders said they talk politics with their family or friends a few times a week or more, on par with Caucasian respondents (46.8%). Latinos were less likely to say they talk politics a few times or more a week (42%).

African American Marylanders were much less likely (21.8%) than Caucasian (33.4%) respondents to say they volunteered, but they were almost as likely to say they did favors for neighbors a few times a week or more (16.1% vs. 17.9%).

Family income has a connection to the ways and to what extent individuals participate in civic life. For instance, 34.8% of Marylanders whose family income is less than $35,000 per year say they are members of groups. That share jumps to 46.6% for Marylanders whose annual family income is $75,000 or more.

However, on informal measures of social connectedness, a different pattern is apparent when it comes to family income. Marylanders whose family income is less than $35,000 per year are the most likely to say they exchange favors with neighbors a few times a week or more (19.7%), compared with 17.3% among Marylanders with family income over $75,000 annually. Similarly, Marylanders whose family income is between $35,000 and $49,999 annually are the most likely to say that they talk to neighbors a few times per week or more.

From the Civic Literacy Summit:
Participants at the Civic Literacy Summit made recommendations focused on learning more about where disparities exist in Maryland, not just for some Marylanders but for all.

The Summit workgroup focused on cultural and class dimensions of civic health made these recommendations:

• Widely disseminate the value of Maryland's Civic Health Index as a powerful tool to use in tracking shifts and changes in civic engagement

• Provide funding to extend the capacity of the Maryland Civic Health Index to capture the civic engagement of all Marylanders

• Convene discussions with relevant organizations including Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Interfaith Conference, the Maryland Council for the Social Studies, and the Maryland Commission on Civic Literacy to extend the Maryland Civic Health Index.

• Convene an annual civic literacy summit to include the broadest range of members of Maryland's communities