II. DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS ARE RESPONDING DIFFERENTLY TO THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURNOhio Civic Health Index Report 2009November 10, 2009
Downloads We examine the effects of the recession on low-income and less-educated Ohioans, and present some of the first data on the very interpersonal ways Ohioans serve their family and community. We observe that African-Americans have also been heavily affected by the recession, but are more optimistic than White Ohioans about the response by their community.34 And we explore generational differences in civic engagement. Low-Income and Less-Educated Working Individuals are Hit Hard In Ohio as well as nationally, lower-income individuals reported cutting back civic engagement more than their higher-income counterparts. In particular, respondents whose household income was less than $50,000—about the national median income—were more likely to say they had cut back on engagement, compared to those who had higher incomes.35 Twenty-nine percent of those with incomes above $100,000 reported that they were more engaged now than before the recession. Only 11% of those making $20,000 or less reported increasing their civic engagement during the recession. Additionally, individuals with less education were more likely to have cut back on engagement. While 27% of those with a bachelor’s degree or more said that they were more engaged now than before the recession, only 13% of those who have a high school diploma said that they were. External factors, namely, economic necessity, may have influenced the ways in which people are engaging this year. Within the labor force of our sample (those who are available to work), a large portion of households whose income is between $20,000 and $75,000 have experienced job loss, lay-offs, and/or difficulty affording essentials. Lower-Income and Less-Educated People Serve in More Personal Ways Research has traditionally found large “civic gaps” between people with higher income and/or more education and those with lower income and education. On a question about traditional volunteering (for example, doing unpaid work for organizations, schools, and religious organizations), there was a large difference between respondents across income brackets and education levels. Similarly, adults without college experience were far less likely to engage in traditional civic behaviors such as volunteering, going to public meetings to discuss community affairs, and voting. While half of those with some college education reported volunteering in the past year, only one-third of those with a high school diploma said they had volunteered. Educational gaps were much smaller for other indicators of civic engagement, such as working with others in neighborhoods to solve a problem. Fifteen percent of college-educated adults compared to 11% of non-college adults said they participated in community projects. The need for such projects may be especially evident in low-income communities, particularly during hard economic times. This year, we broadened the definition of service in our survey questions and asked our participants about various ways they have been helping others. Especially in the lower income and education brackets, people are channeling their good intentions into different ways of helping. When examining income categories, almost 20% of those with incomes less than $50,000 and 28% of those with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 had allowed a relative to live with them, while less than 10% of those with incomes above $50,000 had done so. Those in the very lowest income category, earning less than $20,000, were very likely to give food or money – 55% reported giving to both relatives and nonrelatives. Only those earning $50,000-$75,000 matched the poorest Ohioans’ generosity to relatives, while 53% of the wealthiest Ohioans reported giving food or money to non-relatives. When examining education categories, more than 20% of those with only high school education had allowed a relative to live with them, while only 15% of those with some college education and 3.5% of those with a college degree had done so. Similarly, 57% of those with a high school education had given money or food to a relative in need, while just 44% of those with some college and 29% with a college degree had done so. In giving to non-relatives, this difference disappeared – about half of those in all education levels from high school to a college degree had given money or food to a non-relative. Among non-volunteers, respondents in the lower income and education brackets were more likely to have given food, money, or shelter to those who were in need. When combining all forms of service, the civic gap is much smaller than the gap for the traditional definition of service (i.e., volunteering). Instead of (and often in addition to) cleaning parks, tutoring children, or helping out in an animal shelter, low-income and less-educated people were opening up their homes, feeding their friends, and sharing their wealth (even if they are needy) to support others. African-American Ohioans are giving generously, and are more optimistic about the response of others to the recession African-American Ohioans report being heavily affected by the recession. Because African-Americans make up a small portion of our overall sample, the potential for sample error makes us reluctant to report specific percentages for Ohio with confidence. A high proportion of African-Americans reported that they or someone in their household was laid off, in the last year. Likewise, African-Americans were more likely to report difficulty affording food or medication.” Despite being hard-hit, African-American Ohioans have given back in numerous ways. African-American and White Ohioans were equally likely to report that they had volunteered (42% of White Ohioans, and 39% of African-American Ohioans), as well as attend public meetings and participate in community projects. African-Americans were the most generous with their homes, food and money. 30% of African-American respondents compared to 15% of White respondents reported allowing a relative to live in their home; 36% of African-American respondents and 9% of White respondents allowed a non-relative to live with them. More than four-fifths of African-American respondents said that they had given food or money to a relative who needed it – 81%, compared to 44% of White respondents. Sixty percent of African-American and 46% of White respondents said that they had given to someone who is not a relative. African-American Ohioans are much more optimistic than White Ohioans in their responses to the recession. Forty-nine percent of African-American Ohioans agreed that people in their community were responding to the economic situation by helping one another and serving the community more, compared to just 17% of White Ohioans. And 35% of African-American Ohioans agreed that they wished they could do something but could find no ways to help, compared to 12% of White Ohioans. Sixty-one percent of African-Americans and 68% of White Ohioans agreed that people had responded by looking out for themselves and their families. Overall, it seems that the positive sense of community and civic responsibility among African-American Ohioans reported in the 2008 Ohio Civic Health Index has remained strong even in the economic downturn. 36 Younger generations lead the way in volunteering; Older Americans May be Shifting to Private Helping In the past, the Civic Health Index and other surveys have generally found that older people have volunteered, voted, and otherwise participated more than younger people. This year, however, younger people (currently members of the Millennial Generation and Generation-X) have emerged as frontrunners in formal volunteering: 46% of Millennials and 51%Generation-Xers volunteered in their communities, compared to 34% of Baby Boomers and 37% of Seniors. Very large proportions—between 75% and 90%--of people in each generation said they had reduced their own engagement, but the age group that cut back the most was Seniors. Although older people (Baby Boomers and Seniors) say they have cut back on their civic engagement overall and report lower volunteering rates than their younger peers, they are still helping in other ways. A phenomenal 90% of Seniors and 82% of Baby Boomers indicated they had decreased their level of civic involvement; Gen-Xers at 79% and illennials at 75% were not far ahead. Combing information from the illustration, we find that 78% of Baby Boomers and 71% of Seniors either gave food or money or provided shelter to others who needed it. About equal proportions of the four generations both provided essentials and volunteered. Younger generations were less likely to provide food, money or shelter than older Ohioans. Baby Boomers are doubly burdened Baby Boomers, who had the lowest volunteering rate in this survey this year, may be in an especially difficult and yet important position in the current economic climate because they tend to juggle responsibilities for both their (now grown-up) children and their own parents. According to a 2005 study of Baby Boomers by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Baby Boomers provided substantial amounts of financial and practical (e.g., childcare, housework) help to their adult children.37 With the current recession, it is likely that Baby Boomers are feeling more pressure than ever to help their own children, who may no longer have jobs or may be unable to afford childcare or housing. In fact, there is an increase in the portion of young people living with their parents—in 2007, 50% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported living with their parents and in 2009, this figure was 52.5%.38 Baby Boomers who are out of the labor force (retired, disabled, or “other”) are less engaged than Baby Boomers who are still working. Among the Baby Boomer generation sampled, 25% are retired, whereas 54% are employed. Non-working Baby Boomers are more likely to provide food, money or shelter to other people than working Baby Boomers. On the other hand, employed Baby Boomers are much more likely to volunteer than retired Baby Boomers. Working may provide opportunities and networks that encourage volunteering. We know from American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) research that Baby Boomers believe they are leaving the world in worse condition than they inherited it and that tens of millions of them expect to give back to improve their communities.39 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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