Minnesota leads the nation as the most civically active state

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Last update: November 2, 2009 - 7:28 PM

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THE FINDING: Minnesota leads the nation as the most civically active state, according to a report released Monday.

HOW IT WAS DETERMINED: The study, compiled by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, measured civic engagement by combining participation in voting, volunteering and pursuing change in neighborhoods. America's Civic Health Index was initiated in 2006 by the National Conference on Citizenship, chartered by Congress in 1953. The 2009 index is based on a survey of 1,518 Americans and an additional oversample of 2,371 respondents in six states. One of the six was Minnesota (with an oversample of 395).

THE BREAKDOWN: Minnesota ranks first in voter turnout between 2004-08, with 70.2 percent of those eligible casting ballots. Over the past three years (2006-08), Minnesota is third in regular or sustained volunteering rates (38.3 percent), ninth in residents attending a public meeting (14 percent) and eighth in working with others to fix a problem (11.1 percent).

REACTION: "The report ... shines a powerful spotlight on our state's civic leadership in the whole nation," Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said in a statement prepared for the study's release. "The challenge for all of us is how to build on this and sustain civic involvement."

MORE INFO: Visit ncoc.net.

PAUL WALSH

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