COLUMBUS, Ohio November 8, 2010 – The good news is, Ohio has strong assets in its community leaders and the state ranks first in the nation for its leadership rate of civic-minded people serving as officers or committee members in community groups and associations.

The bad news is, Ohioans have modified their civic behavior, and their community life and sense of belonging have been affected by unemployment and the foreclosure crisis, according to a new report by Miami University Hamilton’s Center for Civic Engagement and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) based in Washington, DC.

Dr. Kelli Johnson, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Miami Hamilton who co-authored the report, said the continuing recession is impacting people’s abilities to remain rooted in and committed to their communities.

“Mobilizing Ohio’s strongest asset – its people – is the best solution to providing statewide economic longevity, neighborhood stabilization and personal well being,” Johnson said.

Findings of the Ohio Civic Health Report for 2010 will be discussed at a conference Monday, Nov. 8, in Columbus.

“Individuals throughout Ohio stand poised and prepared to give and participate in a variety of ways, if our infrastructure can create the opportunities and avenues for such engagement,” Johnson said.

NCoC executive director David B. Smith said the United States as a nation is facing a number of serious and complex challenges.

“These are challenges that require all of us to get involved. Ohio is leading the way to help build the case for why civic engagement matters when it comes to addressing those challenges,” Smith said.

The report is a collaboration between the NCoC and Miami Hamilton’s Center for Civic Engagement. It examines the overall civic health of Ohio’s communities. Using indicators such as time spent volunteering, participation in neighborhoods and communities, and social connections, the report measures Ohioans’ commitments to civic engagement, political knowledge, and community service.

Key findings include: 1) Civic engagement is about participating, and nearly 40% of Ohioans participate in a group; 2) Ohioans have strong assets in their community leaders, with 11.3% of Ohioans serving as officers or committee members in a group or association; 3) Volunteers establish essential networks in Ohio’s communities, and Ohio ranks 22nd in the nation for its volunteerism rate of 29.4%, and 4) Educational attainment is strongly correlated to all types of political and civic engagement.

“Higher levels of education have a positive correlation to voting, volunteering, participating in groups, fixing problems in the community with neighbors, and leading organizations,” Johnson said.

According to the report, Ohio ranks 44th in the nation on the number of people over 25 with a college degree.