The 2010 Illinois Civic Health Index illustrates how systemic disregard for civic education has resulted in a citizenry that lacks the capacity, knowledge, and desire to effectively engage in the democratic process, and how decades of political scandals have resulted in systemic distrust in government. Illinois civic health factors measured in this report, which include participation in elections, participation in civil society, and social capital, are, for the most part, only narrowly different from national statistics. The congruence of Illinois statistics with national statistics however is not praiseworthy. The universally low gures for basic civic engagement such as voting, attending public meetings where a policy issue is discussed, or volunteering is shocking for a country that prides itself on having a democracy that is a model for other societies. The cultural challenge before us is signicant, crucial, and requires decades of civic disengagement to be replaced with healthy civic habits grounded in early hands–on civic education so that “practicing democracy” is routine.

The Illinois Civic Health Index analyzes several frequently measured areas of civic participation, identies recently passed reforms in specic areas, and makes pointed recommendations for reforms to improve our democracy. The civic indicators measured range from quintessential civic engagement actions such as registering to vote and voting, to various “formal” and “informal” methods of civic participation. Formal participation is identied as actions taken in conjunction with an organized effort such as group participation, leadership in a group, or nancially contributing to a cause, whereas informal participation explores how we as individuals are interconnected to the community and stay informed on government and community issues. For example, this report highlights that despite an electried 2008 Presidential contest that included Illinois' own Barack Obama, Illinois' voter registration rate ranked 33rd among all states at 70.9%, which was nearly identical to the national voter registration rate of 71.0%. Having a popular candidate from Illinois failed to increase the voter registration rate or voter turnout beyond the national average. In fact, Illinois' voter registration rate and voter turnout rate declined between the 2004 and 2008 elections. The most common reason given for not registering to vote, both nationwide (40.8%) and in Illinois (38.5%), was lack of interest in the election.

As for other notable civic indicators, only 26.3% of respondents performed at least one political act other than voting. Of the 26.3% respondents, the most frequent political act, at 14.1%, was showing support for a particular candidate or party, followed by 11.2% contacting a public official, and 10.8% buying or boycotting a product. A mere 9.6% attended a public meeting and only 3.1% exercised their First Amendment rights through protesting or participating in a march or rally. Despite valuing leadership as a society, in Illinois, only 9.9% of residents collectively attend meetings, belong to an organization, and take a leadership role in the community. As for how Illinoisans display their interconnectedness, Illinois ranks 46th in the rate of people 18 and older who exchange favors with their neighbors at least a few times a week and who report they eat dinner with their family at least a few times a week.

While this analysis of civic health indicators paints the picture of a dire democracy, this is an outstanding opportunity to harness the public's optimism that political systems can change. The Citizen Advocacy Center highlights a medley of policy reforms that would directly increase government accessibility, transparency, and accountability and promote holistic civic education. Holistic civic education is multifaceted and community–based. It includes family structures that model civic participation, and government institutions that place a priority on the development of citizens with strong civic values. A healthy democracy requires that government entities have policies that ensure and protect the public's capacity to participate in the democratic process as well as a civically literate citizenry that knows how government operates and has the confidence and skills to identify, address, and take action on issues important to them.