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Local participation in <br /> <br />civic activities <br /> <br />~1~ 14 <br /> <br /> 6 <br /> 0 <br /> <br />And this lack of involvement isn't limited to voting in national elections. <br /> <br />According to the Index of National Civic Health created by the National Commission <br />on Civic Renewal, participation in civic activities also been declining since the late <br />1970's, although a recent update with 1997 data offered some signs of improvement. <br /> <br />+ This chart shows local participation as an average of three percentages, pulled from <br />Roper Polls: the percentage of adults who said they had attended a meeting on town <br />or school affairs, served on a committee of a local organization, or served as an officer <br />of a club or organization at least once within the preceding year. How long could <br />your organization continue to fill its role in the community if the downward trend in <br />this chart resumes? <br /> <br />* But you don't need national statistics to recognize this problem. Look around the <br />room at any public hearing and count for yourself how few young people are present. <br />By and large, the people who come out to speak--for or against a proposal--are <br />middle-aged or older. If everyone becomes more involved as they get older, as they <br />have kids of their own and buy houses and worry about property values and traffic and <br />their kids' schools, then maybe it doesn't matter much if they "sit out" until they are <br />30 or 35 or 40. <br />But we are losing that rich tradition of civic participation. If parents don't take part in <br />any civic clubs, don't talk about public policy issues at home, and don't bother to <br />vote, their children may never develop those interests or habits, either. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br /> <br />