How are Volunteering and Engagement Changing?California 2009 Civic Health IndexNovember 24, 2009
 In our survey: 72.5% (72% nationally) of Californian respondents said they cut back on the time they spent volunteering, participating in groups, and doing the other civic activities. This does not mean that 73% have stopped participating, only that they are participating less. More than one in four Californians, meanwhile, say they have increased their engagement in the past year. The source of this general decline is no mystery, of course. 20% of respondents in the state said someone in their household lost their job in the last year, the same percentage as nationally. Among Hispanic respondents, 34% said their homes had been affected by layoffs. Overall, layoffs and foreclosures made it more difficult for 35% of Californians to afford food or medication (compared to 31% nationally). The state’s 11.9% unemployment rate (as of July 2009) makes it one of the five most difficult states in the country to find a job.5 The result, across the state, has been widespread retrenchment, though a slightly less dramatic one than that seen nationally. 61% of respondents (66% nationally) said people in their community are responding to the current economic downturn by looking out for themselves. Only 18% (19% nationally) replied that people around them are responding to the recession by helping each other more. No Matter How You Slice It: Budget Cuts, Stimulus, and Civic Engagement For civic groups in California, the last year and a half has brought with it not just fears of drastic budget cuts—but just-as- real hopes for deliverance in the form of federal stimulus. Because of the timing of this survey, though, which relies on polling conducted in April of this year, many respondents were still waiting to hear more about both budget cuts and stimulus funds. While the state of California has cut billions of dollars from its education budget since the poll was conducted, for example, only 40% of the survey’s respondents said schools in their neighborhoods had made cuts, 8% said their schools had remained the same, and 51% were not sure.11 For many schools, those cuts weren’t fully realized until the start of the current school year. Federal stimulus funds, which only began to pour into the state over the summer, did not register in the survey, either. Only 3% of those surveyed said the civic groups they work with had received federal aid, while 72% stated that their organization had not yet received any federal dollars.12 It may be necessary to wait for next year’s survey before it will be possible to gauge the full impact of both budget cuts and stimulus on civic groups like schools and community nonprofits. If you like this kind of content, sign up for an NCoC.net account and we'll customize your homepage recommendations based on your interests..
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