Civic Engagement
By 
CommonWealth Staff
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In his new book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam attempts to quantify what he views as the crumbling character of American civic life by taking a closer look at public attitudes and community participation. Among the 48 continental states, Massachusetts fares better than most. In Putnam’s composite index of “social capital,” which takes into account many measures of community involvement and cohesion, Massachusetts ranks a respectable 18th. The state also finishes in the top half of the nation in most individual measures. On average, Bay State residents attended 7.4 club meetings (24th) and held 12.2 at-home get-togethers (tied for 14th) in the last year; 24 percent went to at least one meeting on local matters (9th). Forty eight percent of Massachusetts residents felt “most people can be trusted” (18th) and 59 percent made it to the polls in the 1988 and ’92 presidential elections (tied for 14th).
| Rank | State | Comprehensive Social Capital Index |
| 1. | North Dakota | 1.71 |
| 2. | South Dakota | 1.69 |
| 3. | Vermont | 1.42 |
| 4. | Minnesota | 1.32 |
| 5. | Montana | 1.29 |
| 6. | Nebraska | 1.15 |
| 7. | Iowa | 0.98 |
| 8. | New Hampshire | 0.77 |
| 9. | Wyoming | 0.67 |
| 10. | Washington | 0.65 |
| 11. | Wisconsin | 0.59 |
| 12. | Oregon | 0.57 |
| 13. | Maine | 0.53 |
| 14. | Utah | 0.50 |
| 15. | Colorado | 0.41 |
| 16. | Kansas | 0.38 |
| 17. | Connecticut | 0.27 |
| 18. | Massachusetts | 0.22 |
| 19. | Missouri | 0.10 |
| 20. | Idaho | 0.07 |
| 21. | Arizona | 0.06 |
| 22. | Michigan | 0.00 |
| 23. | Delaware | -0.01 |
| 24. | Rhode Island | -0.06 |
| 25. | Indiana | -0.08 |
| 26. | Oklahoma | -0.16 |
| 27. | Ohio | -0.18 |
| 28. | California | -0.18 |
| 29. | Pennsylvania | -0.19 |
| 30. | Illinois | -0.22 |
| 31. | Maryland | -0.26 |
| 32. | Virginia | -0.32 |
| 33. | New Mexico | -0.35 |
| 34. | New York | -0.36 |
| 35. | New Jersey | -0.40 |
| 36. | Florida | -0.47 |
| 37. | Arkansas | -0.50 |
| 38. | Texas | -0.55 |
| 39. | Kentucky | -0.79 |
| 40. | North Carolina | -0.82 |
| 41. | West Virginia | -0.83 |
| 41. | West Virginia | -0.83 |
| 43. | Tennessee | -0.96 |
| 44. | Louisiana | -0.99 |
| 45. | Alabama | -1.07 |
| 46. | Georgia | -1.15 |
| 47. | Mississippi | -1.17 |
| 48. | Nevada | -1.43 |
| † Courtesy Robert Putnam | ||
| State | Most People Can Be Trusted | Club Mettings Attended Last Year | Times Entertained At Home Last Year | Attended Meeting On Local Affairs in Last Year | Election Turnout 1988 & 1992 |
| Alabama | 23% | 6.4 | 9.5 | 14% | 51% |
| Arizona | 47% | 6.8 | 11.6 | 23% | 50% |
| Arkansas | 29% | 7.7 | 11.6 | 15% | 51% |
| California | 43% | 7.3 | 11.6 | 18% | 48% |
| Colorado | 46% | 8.1 | 11.4 | 21% | 59% |
| Connecticut | 49% | 7.7 | 12.7 | 20% | 61% |
| Delaware | 24% | 6.9 | 12.2 | 22% | 53% |
| Florida | 37% | 7.4 | 11.8 | 14% | 47% |
| Georgia | 38% | 6.5 | 9.3 | 10% | 43% |
| Idaho | N/A | 8.1 | 10.9 | N/A | 62% |
| Illinois | 44% | 7.7 | 11.8 | 14% | 56% |
| Indiana | 43% | 8.5 | 11.2 | 17% | 54% |
| Iowa | 56% | 8.7 | 13.2 | 23% | 62% |
| Kansas | 55% | 8.1 | 11.1 | 22% | 58% |
| Kentucky | 32% | 5.7 | 10.1 | 18% | 51% |
| Louisiana | 33% | 5.8 | 10.2 | 15% | 56% |
| Maine | N/A | 8.1 | 12.6 | 23% | 67% |
| Maryland | 42% | 7.3 | 11.2 | 11% | 51% |
| Massachusetts | 46% | 7.4 | 12.2 | 24% | 59% |
| Michigan | 51% | 7.2 | 12.2 | 21% | 58% |
| Minnesota | 63% | 8.2 | 12.5 | 25% | 69% |
| Mississippi | 17% | 6.0 | 9.9 | 13% | 52% |
| Missouri | 44% | 7.9 | 12.1 | 20% | 58% |
| Montana | 64% | 8.6 | 12.0 | 23% | 66% |
| Nebraska | N/A | 9.8 | 12.3 | 25% | 60% |
| Nevada | N/A | 4.5 | 9.5 | N/A | 47% |
| New Hampshire | 62% | 7.0 | 13.1 | 33% | 59% |
| New Jersey | 41% | 8.1 | 12.4 | 14% | 54% |
| New Mexico | N/A | 7.0 | 11.2 | 25% | 50% |
| New York | 40% | 8.1 | 12.3 | 10% | 49% |
| North Carolina | 27% | 6.9 | 10.3 | 13% | 47% |
| North Dakota | 67% | 10.9 | 12.1 | N/A | 64% |
| Ohio | 41% | 7.9 | 11.3 | 16% | 58% |
| Oklahoma | 39% | 7.4 | 10.6 | 18% | 55% |
| Oregon | 55% | 7.5 | 12.8 | 25% | 62% |
| Pennsylvania | 44% | 7.3 | 11.8 | 15% | 52% |
| Rhode Island | 52% | 6.7 | 13.4 | 17% | 56% |
| South Carolina | 34% | 7.0 | 9.9 | 14% | 42% |
| South Dakota | 56% | 10.5 | 12.2 | 25% | 64% |
| Tennessee | 36% | 6.5 | 9.6 | 15% | 49% |
| Texas | 33% | 6.5 | 10.1 | 19% | 47% |
| Utah | 54% | 6.0 | 9.5 | 29% | 63% |
| Vermont | 59% | 7.9 | 12.3 | N/A | 63% |
| Virginia | 38% | 6.6 | 10.1 | 22% | 50% |
| Washington | 46% | 8.1 | 12.5 | 21% | 57% |
| West Virginia | 30% | 7.1 | 10.4 | 11% | 49% |
| Wisconsin | 52% | 7.8 | 12.5 | 26% | 65% |
| Wyoming | 60% | 8.1 | 10.4 | N/A | 57% |
| 48 State Average | 44% | 7.5 | 11.4 | 19.1% | 55% |