Connecticut’s Civic Participation Increases With Income

by Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie

Connecticut residents are more likely than the rest of the country to volunteer and attend a public meeting, but a civic health report released Tuesday found several areas in need of improvement. According to the report, which was put together by the Secretary of the State, Everyday Democracy, the National Conference on Citizenship, and DataHaven, deep inequalities in income in Connecticut have a negative impact on civic engagement. ÒThe stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor in our state Ñ the so-called ÔTwo ConnecticutsÕ Ñ is as evident in statistics on voting behavior as it is in educational opportunity,Ó the survey states. ÒDespite a generally higher level of educational attainment in our state, people who are poor or who have lower levels of formal education participate less in our government at all levels.Ó And while Connecticut residents demonstrate significantly stronger levels of engagement when it comes to volunteering and charitable giving, the state performs relatively poorly in other measures of engagement, such as registering to vote, belonging to a school or community association, joining a church group or other religious group, and having confidence in corporations. About 65 percent of Connecticut voters were registered to vote for the 2014 midterm elections and only 46.5 percent voted in that election. In the 2012 presidential election 70.5 percent were registered to vote and 62.7 percent voted, which was down 4.5 percent from the 2008 election. Only 13.8 percent said theyÕve contacted a public official and 63.5 percent said they always or sometimes vote in local elections. ÒOne of the most obvious metrics of civic health is voting,Ó Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, said. ÒIn recent years, weÕve made great improvements on voting access and convenience. However, democracy does not begin and end on Election Day. Strong communities depend on citizens who are working with each other as well as their elected officials.Ó ~1@BODYURL[id=114jbcurl1422]@