Among all of our indicators of civic health, only a few show signs of civic re-engagement. After present- ing improvements in youth civic engagement, we discuss these trends in the context of whether there may have been a 9/11 effect and the existence of a growing civic divide between the well-educated and less-educated. We also highlight positive trends for political activity, expression and knowledge.


IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUTH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
The Index combines data for all adult Ameri- cans (age 18 and older). However, if we disaggregate this data (in the chart at left), we see the civic health of young adults (18-25) improving, at least relative to older generations. That is a hopeful sign, because “as the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

Americans are profoundly shaped by their adolescent civic experiences, as a large body of re- search confirms. These improvements may portend civic progress in the decades to come relative to pre- dictions 5-10 years ago when young people were less engaged. That said, while the gap has narrowed sub- stantially, each year we are still slipping further civi- cally. Each year, the grim reaper steals away one of the most civic slices of America – the last members of the “Greatest Generation.” This is a cold genera- tional calculus that we cannot reverse until younger Americans become as engaged as their grandparents. While we need to boost the civic health of all Ameri- cans, we should pay special attention to whether we can further build upon the important civic gains in this younger cohort.

One way in which young people have closed the gap with older adults is by volunteering at higher rates than their predecessors. The Monitoring the Future (MTF) study annually surveys high school students. We have limited the Civic Health Index to measures that cover American adults (ages 18 and up), but both the MTF data and the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) show an increase in volunteering among younger Americans (high school seniors and 16-24 year-olds, respectively). The CPS, our most reliable measure of youth volunteering, finds a statistically significant increase from Septem- ber 2001 through September 2005.1