Civic literacy and engagement are essential to the success of a democratic government. In a country that was established “for the people and by the people,” citizens knowledge of and involvement in the legislative and electoral processes under girds the foundation of our society. Yet in the last forty years, there has been a continual decline in the involvement of American citizens in the election of our government representatives and in the lawmaking process. Surely, this is not the picture of which our forefathers dreamed so many years ago.
The decrease of involvement among young people in these processes is particularly alarming. Youth are becoming increasingly disenfranchised with the democratic process. Since 1972, young voter participation in presidential elections has declined more than thirteen percent. Additionally, a 2003 survey conducted by the Alliance for Representative Democracy found only 66 percent of 15-26 year-olds thought voting was a necessary quality of good citizenship.
Young adults’ growing detachment from civic affairs is not limited to voting. The 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation’s Report Card found only 15 percent of students tested at the 4th grade level named “two services that the government pays for with taxes.” Among 8th graders, only 6 percent described “two ways that could countries benefit from having a constitution.”
It is time that we reverse these trends. It is important to realize that this change requires a fundamental shift for many citizens in our society and for that reason it will take time for this evolution to occur. While these declines have occurred over many years, that should not indicate the length of time necessary to alter these trends. It is imperative that we act now in order to increase the civic engagement of all citizens.
Highlighting the problem is relatively easy, but finding an effective solution is more challenging. Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Senator Jack Westwood, Representative Tanya Pullin, and the entire General Assembly, efforts are being made to study civic engagement within the Commonwealth. This fall, my office in concert with the Administrative Office of the Courts, Kentucky Department of Education, and the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), hosted the Summit on Civic Literacy.
Over 170 Kentuckians attended the Summit including students, teachers, administrators, editors, elected officials, and representatives from colleges or universities, educational organizations, media, state and county agencies, and non-profit organizations. Key presentations illuminated current conditions and challenges facing the Commonwealth with respect to young adults’ low level of civic literacy and engagement, and highlighted available teaching materials to improve these conditions. Additional presentations looked beyond traditional classroom instruction by addressing service learning, an approach that integrates community service projects with classroom instruction to encourage civic engagement.
Participants also heard from former Congressman Lee Hamilton, and Ted McConnell, Director of the Campaign to Improve Civic Education for the Center for Civic Education. Hamilton shared with participants what it means to be an American citizen. Suggesting that every citizen must actively engage . . . McConnell applauded Kentucky for its current efforts to increase civic literacy and engagement. He suggested that the first place to address declining civic engagement is in our schools, and encouraged participants “to ensure that every Kentucky school child has the opportunity to become a fully engaged and participating citizen of this great state and nation.”
Utilizing information gathered from the above mentioned education sessions and presentations, summit focus groups developed a conference statement that will serve as a guide for future steps to increase the participation of young Kentuckians in community affairs.