Indiana Civic Health Review Is Mixed

Indiana received a checkup of its civic health on Monday.  The second edition of Indiana’s Civic Health Index measures how actively Hoosiers engage in their communities.

Former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton is now the Director of the Center on Congress at IU and served as a chairperson of the assessment. He said the report emphasizes the importance of civic involvement.

"There is quite a bit of evidence that the economic development of a community improves if there is civic engagement," Hamilton said.

Overall, Hoosiers perform above average in some social aspects of civic life – nearly 93 percent of us reported having dinner frequently with family members – more than almost any other state.  And Hoosiers ranked higher than the national average in volunteering and having confidence in the media and in corporations.

But Indiana lags in other ways – fewer residents attend public meetings, participate in school groups or voting.  Hamilton says Indiana’s voter turnout was the lowest in the nation during last year’s mid-term elections.

"When I see voter turnouts of the kind we've been having in Indiana, it's very distressing,"  Hamilton said. "We have a 20-25 percent turnout and in some congressional races even less than that."

The index is based on Census data and compares Indiana’s urban, suburban and rural areas. It also compares educational achievements and finds a clear link between higher education and higher civic involvement.