CONNECTIVITY: In general, connectivity is not a problem for most New Yorkers. New Yorkers are informally connected in many ways. They make time for family, friends, and neighbors, spending time and communicating both in person and using technology. Knowing and trusting community members is another way that New Yorkers remain connected. However, more formal connections, such as through group membership and performing civic duties, are more tenuous among New Yorkers.

TIME CONSTRAINTS: Time may be a signicant factor in the amount of civic engagement possible for many New York State residents. According to the report Volunteering in America: Cities 2007 , longer average commute time may be an inuencing factor in the level of volunteerism in different communities. 16 VolunteeringinAmerica.gov reports that the national average commute time is about 25 minutes; in New York, commuters travel for about 32 minutes. 17 This commute period reduces the amount of indiscriminate time that New York State workers possess. In the New York State Leisure Poll, 38% of New Yorkers reported having none or less than two hours of leisure time, that is time that was not spent engaged in work or household maintenance activities, per workday; only 23% had more than four hours of leisure time per workday. For some New Yorkers, volunteerism and civic engagement may fall under the category of leisure time. Reasons given for not participating in more leisure activities included feeling too tired, not feeling like doing anything, and lack of time.

Furthermore, New Yorkers often spend free time engaged in solitary activities. The top three ranked leisure activities were watching television, listening to music, and talking on the phone, all activities which can typically be performed either alone or without engaging in a larger public group. However, there is a desire among New Yorkers to decrease these individualized and technological activities and branch out into more community–based activities. Twenty–seven percent would like to spend more time attending public meetings; 21% would like to attend club meetings more frequently.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT: Residents' commitment to the communities in which they live can determine their amount of local volunteering and engagement. A relatively low rate of homeownership and high rates of multi–unit housing may contribute to a lowered afliation with community involvement in New York State.

The Corporation for National Service 2007 Cities Report posits that homeownership may be one indicator of dedication to a community; people who own their home may be putting down roots, thus leading them to be more invested in the area. Furthermore, the report states that rates of homeownership in metropolitan areas are positively related to rates of volunteering. 18

The New York Homeownership Survey conducted in 2010 19 provides some support for homeownership and perceptions of investment in communities. Of those surveyed, 84% said it was completely or somewhat true that one of the benets they enjoyed from owning their home was that they felt a sense of connection to their neighborhood and community. Of those who have lived at their residence for 25 years or more, 53% felt that this was completely true as compared with 36% of those who had lived at their residence for less than ten years. Owning a home and taking root in a community may therefore be a strong motivator for becoming involved.

In addition, the CPIS indicated that a greater percentage of homeowners in New York (22%) reported volunteering their time for some community, organization, charity or cause more than once a month as compared with renters (11%). A greater percentage of renters reported not volunteering at all in a twelve–month time frame (51%) as compared with those who own their home (34%).

In New York, the rate of homeownership is 55.3%, lower than the national rate of 66.6%. 20 New York's rate of homeownership ranked last among the 50 states in 2008. 21 New York City may play a signicant role in the state homeownership rate; in 2004, the rate of homeownership in the city was 36.6% as compared with 70.2% in Rochester and 67.3% in the Albany–Schenectady–Troy area. 22

Another characteristic of the state is a high rate of multi–unit housing. In 2008, New York ranked last among the other states for the percent of single housing units as a percentage of total housing units. 23 Multi–unit housing has been reported to have a negative relationship to volunteering rates in metropolitan areas. 24

RESOURCES AND POTENTIAL: New York State lawmakers and citizens recognize the importance of volunteering and civic engagement. In the past year, the Corporation for National and Community service committed more than $62,000,000 for national service initiatives to New York, which supported the service efforts of more than 79,000 residents through programs such as Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. In 2009–2010, there were more than 6,000 AmeriCorps volunteers in New York State alone. 25 New Yorkers interested in service can nd information about local volunteering and training opportunities on the New Yorkers Volunteer website (www.newyorkersvolunteer.org) which was established as a statewide initiative in 2008.

New York City, which has a lower volunteer rate than New York State overall, also has some initiatives geared toward volunteerism and engagement. Mayor Bloomberg recently swore in the second class of the New York City Civic Corps, and there are efforts targeted at increasing service opportunities throughout the city. 26