THE IMPORTANCE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
Much of our thinking and discourse about the health of society is framed in terms of activities in the private and public sectors. We hear daily about the market's workings and the government's actions, and we rightly debate what the proper relationship should be between the two sectors. Unfortunately, this obscures the recognition of civil society and what goes on in our communities. This report analyzes and describes various indicators of civic life in Missouri. It also brings the workings of civil society into a social discourse about what kind of institutional structure will best support democracy.

Although the institutional structures of the market and state are recognized and understood reasonably well by most Americans, civil society remains amorphous. Few Americans know what civil society is, how it works, and what goods it provides. One of the central aims of producing a Civic Health Assessment is to call attention to civil society and evaluate it.

Civil society consists of all the households, religious groups, voluntary associations, philanthropic organizations, and clubs that make up a community. It is where we live, and it operates with social capital. Robert Putnam has dened social capital as social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. 1 The key here is the idea of social networks; humans form ties with others based on trust and reciprocation. As capital, these ties have value, make us more productive, and are the foundation of our social selves. The reason social networks are so important is that collective resources, skills, expertise, and knowledge are embedded in them. One of the major reasons to construct a Civic Health Assessment is to examine how the structure of social networks provides access to collective resources needed to address society's problems.

STUDYING THE CIVIC HEALTH OF MISSOURI
Because of the prolonged recession of recent years, much discussion has centered on Missouri's struggling economy. Although this focus is understandable and necessary, more and more observers have noted that the state's private sector both affects and is affected by
developments in the civic sphere. No segment of society stands as an island; all are interconnected. This report, which is the first of its kind for the state, documents the health of Missouri's civic sector. Historical trends show that some forms of civic participation are declining. However, analyses of social capital, civic participation, and access to information show that there are foundations that can be built upon to revitalize the state's civic health. The information in this report can be used to motivate and inform broad, statewide discussions of how to enliven civic participation in Missouri and strengthen the social fabric of the Show Me State.

This spring, Missouri State University agreed to participate in the national 2010 Civic Health Assessment. This project was originated by the nonprofit National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). NCoC was founded in 1946 to sustain the spirit of cooperation and civic commitment that blossomed during World War II. In 1953, Congress recognized the importance of efforts to maintain and build the nation's civic infrastructure by granting NCoC a formal charter and charging the organization with the responsibilities of monitoring the well–being of civic life and developing ways of promoting effective citizenship. During the 1950s, both Presidents Truman and Eisenhower were involved with the development of NCoC. Through its long history, NCoC has worked with other organizations to encourage the development of informed, engaged citizens and to increase civic participation. Among other events and programs, NCoC has held an annual conference to showcase private and public initiatives to strengthen citizenship.

In 2006, NCoC launched a landmark initiative to create a national index measuring the state of America's civic health. For decades, various organizations had published indices of leading economic indicators. However, no such measure existed to gauge the condition of the nation's civic sphere. Working with the Corporation for National & Community Service in Washington, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts, Harvard's Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America, and distinguished scholars and private sector leaders, NCoC crafted an index of indicators of social capital and social and political participation to measure the level of civic engagement and the health of our nation's democracy.

Missouri was one of 13 states and four cities that participated in the 2010 Civic Health Assessment. The state's involvement was centered in the Sociology Program at Missouri State University (MSU) in Springeld. MSU is the state's higher education public affairs institution, and the university sponsors a wide range of programs to promote civic engagement among its students, staff, and faculty. Missouri's participation in the national assessment is one of a number of initiatives that leaders have established to enhance civic participation among state residents.

STRENGTHENING CIVIC LIFE IN MISSOURI
State ofcials recently have enacted laws and procedural changes to facilitate voting. Located within the Missouri Department of State, the Missouri Voting Rights Center maintains a website with voting information, including details ranging from voter registration policies to polling locations. 2 Effective in August of 2010, Senate Bill 845 put in place easier procedures for overseas voters to vote via absentee ballot. 3 Senate Bill 641 also aims to ease voting burdens by enabling voters to cast their ballots in advance, starting in January of 2011.

The Missouri Community Service Commission, part of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, aims to engage Missouri residents in community service and volunteerism. The Commission's mission is to connect “Missourians of all ages and backgrounds in an effort to improve unmet community needs through direct and tangible service.” 4 Additionally, the Commission helps to coordinate and administer federal funding to service programs throughout the state. According to Volunteering in America, Missouri averaged 1.3 million volunteers and more than 159 million hours of service annually from 2007–2009, ranking the state 24th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. 5 Using more than $13.5 million in federal support from the Corporation for National and Community Service in the 2009–2010 year, Missouri was able to engage approximately 15,000 residents in service programs such as Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. 6

Although no statewide service–learning requirement exists in Missouri schools, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides resources for service–learning programs and initiatives. School groups interested in incorporating service in the classroom can apply for Student Led Mini–Grants, which range from $100–$1,000 and are administered by the Missouri Service–Learning Advisory Council. 7 Missouri Service–Learning Regional Centers administer free support to teachers and students wishing to implement service–learning in their school districts. In the fall of 2010, the Missouri Service–Learning Network will bring together service–learning participants, teachers, community–based partners and program coordinators for a fall conference on issues related to service–learning within the state.

Within Missouri's public schools, a statewide civics test gauges the civic education of students on topics related to American history and the U.S. government. A passing grade on the End–of–Course Government Assessment, administered by the Missouri Assessment Program, is a requisite for high school graduates. Hoping to “enable students to master important knowledge and skills in the area of civic knowledge and responsibility,” 8 the Missouri Department of Education is one of only a handful of states that administers a test focusing specically on civic knowledge.

Along with participation in the National Civic Health Assessment, statewide initiatives in voting, volunteering, service–learning, and civic education clearly demonstrate that Missouri is among the states at the forefront of efforts to restore the civic and democratic vitality of the nation.

KEY TERMS, INDICATORS, AND METHODOLOGY
Three key concepts related to civil society are measured and analyzed in this report: social capital, civic engagement, and access to news and information.

Civic Engagement is a broad concept that refers to people's overall level of participation in community affairs and political processes. We use volunteering with an organization, working with neighbors to x a community problem, and attending one or more public meetings to measure involvement in community affairs. Individuals' level of political participation was gauged by whether or not they are registered to vote, voted in the 2008 presidential election, and took part in one or more non–electoral activities (bought or boycotted a product or service because of the producer's political stance, showed support for a party or candidate, contacted public ofcials to express an opinion, attended a meeting where political issues were discussed, or took part in a march, rally, protest, or demonstration).

Social capital refers to the connections among people and the norms of trust and reciprocity that arise from those relationships. We measure personal connectedness and group membership as indicators of social capital. Four activities measured people's personal connectedness: how frequently they eat dinner with household members, talk with family and friends via the Internet, visit with their neighbors, and exchange favors with neighbors. Participation in groups was measured by the percentage of people who are members of one or more organizations, and by the proportion of individuals who are leaders (ofcers or committee members) in one or more associations.

Democratic institutions and strong communities require informed citizens, people who understand current issues and appreciate other people's views and interests. Two major indicators of access to information and news about current events are used in this report. First, we looked at how frequently people get news and information from one or more of the following sources: newspapers, magazines, television, radio, or the Internet. Second, people reported how regularly they discuss politics with family or friends.

The data reported below are based on information compiled by CIRCLE from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS). Volunteering estimates are from the CPS September Volunteering Supplement, 2007, 2008, and 2009, and the Volunteering in America website at www.volunteeringinamerica.gov. Voting and registration data come from the CPS November Voting/Registration Supplement, 2004 and 2008. All other civic engagement indicators, such as access to information and connection to others, come from the 2008 and 2009 CPS Civic Engagement Supplement. For these indicators, the 2008 and 2009 data were combined whenever possible to achieve the largest possible sample size and to minimize error.