There are a number of efforts in Indiana to encourage Hoosiers to become more civically involved. The media plays a role in keeping Hoosiers informed, government is attempting to improve the civic knowledge of Hoosiers while they are in school and many non–profit entities have a number of programs designed to promote civic activity.

The Free Press
For a democratic society to flourish, it needs an informed and engaged citizenry. Our nation thrives when our citizens and media exercise their rights of free speech and free press as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. James Madison said, “It is universally admitted that a well–instructed people alone can be permanently free.” Enlightened citizens keep our nation strong by making better–informed choices at home, in the workplace – and the voting booth.

Hoosiers seek to become “well–instructed people” by getting their news from a variety of sources on a daily basis: television, 72 percent; newspapers, 52 percent; radio, 42 percent; other Internet sources, 12 percent; and newsmagazines, 6 percent.(3)

Nearly 16 percent of Indiana citizens do not access a news source on a daily basis. Another 23 percent use only one. The largest group, 31 percent, accesses two news sources, while 21 percent get news from three. More than 8 percent of respondents said they access four or five sources daily.

More than one–third of those surveyed in Indiana get news from only one or no source at all on a daily basis. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Political Typology Survey, February 2011, reported similar results nationally. Researchers asked, “Would you say you follow what's going on in government and public affairs most of the time, some of the time, only now and then or hardly at all?”(4)

Only 50 percent of respondents answered most of the time, followed by 29 percent saying some of the time. The remaining 21 percent responded: “only now and then,” 14 percent; and “hardly at all,” 6 percent. The remaining 1 percent either did not know or did not respond.

The Pew Research Center survey also found that more than seven in 10 of those surveyed in Indiana who get news on a daily basis from one of the five studied sources voted in 2008.” The breakdown by medium shows of those who got news daily from newsmagazines, 93 percent voted; other Internet sources, 86 percent; newspapers, 80 percent; radio, 77 percent; and television, 74 percent.

Furthermore, the U.S. Census data show that of the Hoosiers who get news on a daily basis from the newspaper, radio, television and other sources on the Internet, nearly seven in 10 do a favor for a neighbor at least once a month. Of those who get news from newsmagazines, nearly six in 10 did a favor at least monthly.

This compares to approximately five in 10 who do not read a newspaper or listen to radio news daily and do not do favors at least once a month. About four in 10 who say they do not get news from other Internet sources or newsmagazines also do not do favors once a month. More than half of the respondents who do not get news from television daily also do not do favors monthly.

A free press plays an important role in engaging citizens and maintaining those social connections. It is cause for concern then that many citizens have what seems to be a misunderstanding about the fundamental freedoms that are essential to an independent free press. Following its 15th annual national survey conducted in June 2011,(5) the First Amendment Center summarized findings in the State of the First Amendment 2011 relevant to free press. When asked to name the freedoms covered in the First Amendment, 62 percent of Americans could name the freedom of speech. The remaining four rights did not fare as well. Only 19 percent of those surveyed could say the freedom of religion, 17 percent could mention the freedom of press, 14 percent could say the right to assemble, and 3 percent could name the right to petition. Thirty percent of Americans could not list any of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer spoke to the American Bar Association Commission on Civic Education in the Nation's Schools and told participants that to keep the country functioning, young people need to understand that the Constitution allows people of opposing views to work out their differences.

Free speech and a free press benefit all citizens. The media promotes active and engaged citizenship by providing a marketplace of ideas where opinions are shared without government interference.

Education
In order for us to effectively make decisions that affect Hoosiers all across Indiana, it is important that Hoosiers have the tools they need to understand what processes work well in governing civic life. While the emphasis of this index is on civic engagement, education certainly plays a vital role in preparing citizens to become active and engaged citizens.

Primary and Secondary
As mentioned, only 21.6% of Hoosiers discuss politics frequently. Nearly 45% of Hoosiers say that they do not discuss politics at all. That void of conversation on matters important to civic life presents a challenge to us as citizens interested in maintaining a well informed citizenry. One logical place to fill that void is in the classroom. Since only 33% of working adults (ages 25–64) in Indiana hold at least a two–year degree,(6) primary and secondary education plays an important role in encouraging citizenship.

Indiana has initiated programs to provide civic education to its students. For example, the Indiana school system requires a mandatory course in government in order to graduate.(7) In addition to a course in government, students must successfully complete courses in U.S. History and Economics and either two semesters of Geography and History of the World or two semesters of World History and Civilization.(8)

Indiana also has several initiatives to provide service–learning opportunities for young people as a component of encouraging volunteerism. The Indiana Department of Education has incorporated a service–learning component by partnering with the national Learn and Serve initiative.(9) These efforts are no doubt critical to improving student understanding of civic life. There is reason to believe that Indiana students could receive more educational support in civics.

The Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) has shown that students have improved their scores in recent years. Students in the fifth and seventh grades are tested in social studies. The percentage of fifth grade students passing the social studies component of ISTEP has improved from 60% to 67% from 2009–2011. In that same time period the percentage of seventh graders passing improved from 58% to 68%. While this is welcome improvement, the pass rate has been lower than the pass rate for the same age in math and language arts.(10) It is also worth noting that in Indiana students are assessed in language arts and mathematics from grades 3–8 while assessment in social studies only occurs in grades five and seven. This seems to reflect a national trend. As Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer state in Teaching Democracy: What Schools Need to Do:

“…when it comes to assessment, civic goals get very little attention. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act mandates yearly testing in math, reading, and, beginning in 2005, science. Social studies and civic education, the areas of the curriculum most tied to the democratic mission of schools, share no such requirements. Similarly, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is often referred to as the “Nation's Report Card,” measures performance in math and reading annually — but administers a civics assessment only about once every 10 years. Clearly, math, reading, and science are important, but, from the standpoint of supporting a democratic society, academic subject matter, when disconnected from its social relevance, is insufficient.”(11)

We always strive to do better in educating our children. While any additional investment the state would make in promoting civic education would be welcome and beneficial, it is equally important to encourage citizens and organizations to promote civic education and involvement in their own lives and work. Just as we should look to ourselves as well as our elected representatives to correct our civic course, so too should we coalesce around the importance of civic engagement at the same time that we ask our educational leaders to do more. It is up to us, as citizens, to insist that schools in Indiana devote time and resources to encouraging citizenship.

Higher Education
In 2011, the Lumina Foundation for Education released The Degree Qualifications Profile which emphasizes not only a need for specialized knowledge (career, major oriented), but broad–integrative knowledge and civic learning.(12) Civic Learning can happen through a number of different experiences in college, including participation in community service and service–learning courses, involvement in deliberative discourse or engagement in creating public policy. According to Volunteering in America, just about one third (29.7%) of Indiana's college students were involved in any kind of volunteering activities. This rate is slightly above the national average for college students (26.7%).(13) While many of these students have been involved in community service and volunteer experiences during their K–12 education, in working to increase Indiana's civic health, it is imperative that more college students continue to be involved in service to their communities throughout their collegiate career to lay the foundation for a life of community, civic and political participation. Volunteering as an individual and then as part of a group is the beginning of a person's development into a community or civically engaged and eventually a politically engaged citizen.(14)

In Indiana, only 33% of working adults (ages 25–64), hold at least a two–year degree.(15) And while many are working to increase the accessibility and affordability of higher education, there continues to be a large percentage of adults who have not and will not attend college. While our nation works to close the achievement gap and help more adults attain post–secondary credentials, colleges and universities continually revisit their public purpose and find ways to engage with their local community and bring non–students into the conversations and activities. With just over 21% of Hoosiers indicating that they “talk about politics at least a few times a week,” colleges and universities should work to engage all community members in conversations not only about politics, but about other community activities. This can happen in a number of different ways in order to engage the diverse individuals in each of our communities, ranging from using digital and social media to face–to–face meetings where deliberative dialogue can take place.(16)

Whether it is a land–grant university, a community college, or a religiously affiliated liberal arts college, institutions of higher education have a history of preparing students for a life of engagement in their communities both during and beyond their time on campus. This doesn't only happen by preparing current and future students for a life of civic participation. It requires constant partnerships and work between institutions of higher education and the communities where they reside.