Accessing information frequently and broadly and having political discussions with others are independently correlated with increased civic engagement. More importantly, doing both has an even stronger relationship with civic engagement. Those who do not consume news are far less likely to participate in the various indicators of civic engagement discussed in this report. Nationally, 44.4% of Americans who both access information and discuss it express their political voice in some way, compared with 13.6% of those who do neither. Among respondents who reported frequent access to news and information and frequent discussions with others, 14.9% report that they worked with neighbors to x or improve on something in the community, compared with a mere 5.0% of those who infrequently accessed news and information and engaged in less–frequent discussions with others. Illinois compares favorably with national averages on all parameters related to accessing news and information: Illinoisans more frequently talk politics with friends and/or family, and get news from newspapers, newsmagazines, TV, radio, and proliferating Internet news sources compared with their nationwide counterparts.

In Illinois, a relatively small portion of residents show low news consumption and low engagement in political discussions (26.4% vs. 30.4% nationwide). Instead, Illinoisans are more likely than average to keep up with the news without discussing issues with friends and family (31.6% vs. 25.7% nationwide).

Illinois ranks 26th in the rate of people 18 and older who talk about politics with friends and family at least a few times a week (40.6% vs. 39.3% nationwide). Illinois ranks 33rd in the percentage of people 18 and older who engaged in at least one type of political act, 26.3%, which is the same rate as the national average.

Access to news predicts the likelihood of volunteering in Illinois: Those who report high news consumption with or without political discussion are more likely to volunteer than those who report low news consumption. Access to information also predicts whether people x something in the community with neighbors. Those who keep informed, discuss politics with friends and family, or both, are more likely to donate money than those who do neither. Nationwide, there is a strong correlation between educational background and news consumption or discussion: Adults 25 and older who have no college experience are far less likely to access information and engage in political conversation than those who have college experience (21.5% vs. 37.0%). Illinois residents with no college experience are relatively more likely than their national counterparts to consume and discuss news (21.9% do both and 32.1% do neither).

A well–informed citizenry needs to be able to ask well–reasoned questions and have a knowledge base by which to evaluate information distributed by public bodies. Since the founding of our democracy, news distribution and consumption has been a crucial element of our democracy; it is an avenue by which to monitor and hold government accountable for anti–democratic activities and demand political reform. Accessing news and information, whether through traditional avenues of newspapers and broadcasts or contemporary avenues of the Internet and citizen journalism, provides an effective way for members of a community to gather information about common issues of concern, keep informed, critically evaluate policy issues, and identify opportunities for community involvement. Furthermore, for citizens who are engaged in the democratic process, learning how to use news outlets to advocate for a particular viewpoint is a crucial civic skill.