Arizonans Appear to Have Stronger Connection to Civic Language Than Peers Nationally

A new study finds that Arizonans react strongly to different civic language terms -- more so than the rest of the country -- and that the perceptions can enhance or hinder collaborative community conversations.
 
The Arizona Civic Life Partnership, a strategic statewide initiative led by Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) and the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, released the report, Civic Language Perceptions Project: An Arizona Snapshot. It explores how Arizonans understand and react to key civic terms and offers insights for organizations working to improve civic engagement across the state. 

From positive reaction to terms like “liberty, unity, justice, and citizen” to negative reactions to “civic infrastructure, civil society, pluralism, and privilege,” Arizonans exhibit a stronger sentiment toward those terms at both ends of the spectrum than people in other states, the report found.

The partnership and the research are part of an ongoing effort to advance Arizona’s Civic Health Progress Meters, a set of CFA metrics that track critical indicators of civic participation, community connectedness, and overall civic health. Our collective and community well-being relies on the quality of civic health within a community, which is defined by the ability of residents to come together to solve public problems.

The Arizona Civic Language Perceptions Project is an important first step in the Arizona Civic Life Partnership’s ongoing efforts to improve the Arizona Civic Health Progress Meters. As Arizona leaders work to strengthen civic life across the state, this research will ensure the work moves forward with a greater understanding of how to resonate with Arizonans and foster improved civic health well beyond elections. The Arizona Civic Life Partnership will use the findings in the report as a resource when working with nonprofit and community leaders across the state.

By diving deeper into the intersection between civic language and civic engagement, the report provides nonprofit leaders, community organizations, and governmental agencies with actionable data that supports more effective efforts to identify and foster common ground.

“Our civic health is about more than voting; it’s about how we connect with one another every day,” said Kristi Tate, Director, Civic Health Initiatives at Center for the Future of Arizona.

“This research shows that the words we use in civic conversations matter — and they matter differently for different communities. Understanding these perceptions is key to building a more connected, engaged Arizona,” said Dawn Wallace, Vice President, Civic Leadership at The Flinn Foundation.

Key findings from the Civic Language report include: 

• Younger Arizonans feel less positive about civic terms than older Arizonans.
• Arizonans who have received civic education are more likely to respond positively to civic language, including “democracy and civic engagement.”
• Arizonans exposed to civic education have an outsized increase in positivity towards civic language when compared to the national average.
• Positivity towards civic language differs between rural and urban areas. The largest gap in positivity is seen with “justice, citizen, and civility,” which are heavily favored by rural respondents, and “diversity, activism, and civic health,” which are heavily favored by urban respondents.

The report on Arizona is part of a national study known as the Civic Language Perceptions Project conducted by Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE). The project aimed to research and understand how language related to civic engagement is received in communities across the country. With support from the Vitalyst Health Foundation, the Arizona Civic Life Partnership sponsored an oversample of 601 Arizona residents in late 2021 and conducted focus groups through a series of community dialogues in 2022 and 2023.

Findings from this study, by itself and when compared against national data, come at a pivotal moment for Arizona as leaders have continued to work to strengthen civic life across the state in recent years. The Arizona Civic Life Partnership launched in 2021 just two years after CFA launched its Arizona Civic Health Progress Meters, with a focus on lifelong civic learning, engagement, and leadership. 

“This research offers important new data that leaders across Arizona can use to foster more meaningful civic conversations,” said Tate. “We hope these insights will inspire organizations to refine their messaging in ways that build trust and connection, rather than stoke division.”

CFA’s Civic Health Progress Meters measure the current state of civic health in Arizona based on several key indicators. The data on where we are as a state provide critical information for individuals and organizations to frame conversations and promote action on key issues. The Civic Participation and Connected Communities Arizona Civic Health Progress Meters indicate:

• Arizona residents are experiencing less community connectedness than the nation given decreases in volunteering, spending time with neighbors, and working with neighbors comparing most recent data from 2019 and 2021
• Arizonans are more likely to leverage buying power as a sign of approval or disapproval of a brand’s practices compared to the national average
• The number of Arizona voters who feel like their vote doesn’t matter has increased from 2020 to 2022 and trends above the national average

New data for the Civic Health Progress Meters will be available in early 2025, providing an updated look at civic life across Arizona.

Access the full report Learn more about the Arizona Civic Life Partnership and its ongoing efforts to improve civic health in Arizona.

About Center for the Future of Arizona
Center for the Future of Arizona is a nonprofit, nonpartisan "do-tank" that brings Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for our state. Through its survey research & communications, Arizona Progress Meters, and impact initiatives & programs in education, workforce, and civic health, CFA listens to Arizonans to learn what matters most to them, shares trusted data about how Arizona is doing in those priority areas, brings critical issues to public attention, and works with communities and leaders to solve public problems. All of CFA’s work is focused on building The Arizona We Want –a research-informed vision of success for the state, where all Arizonans, now and in the future, thrive and enjoy sustained prosperity, unmatched quality of life, and real opportunity. Learn more at arizonafuture.org. 

About the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation
The nonpartisan Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation enhances civic life in Arizona through civic education, engagement, and leadership-development programs. Flinn Young Leaders emphasizes civic learning and skill-building and helps teens imagine paths to making a difference. CivEx delivers educational programming for the public to become better-informed on Arizona policy and political topics. The Civic Leadership Collaborative and the Arizona Civic Life Partnership convene organizations that strengthen civic participation and connected communities. The Center’s cornerstone, the prestigious Flinn-Brown Fellowship, is an immersive experience for community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Fellows engage in rich discussions with policymakers and political experts; join a robust professional network; and gain understanding of how to address Arizona’s most pressing issues through public service.

About the Vitalyst Health Foundation 
Vitalyst Health Foundation is on a mission to inform, connect, and support efforts to improve the health of individuals and communities in Arizona. Over its history, the foundation has invested more than $134 million and established itself as a key thought leader, convener, and catalyst of key initiatives – ranging from statewide health policy and systems change to housing collaboratives. More information is available at http://vitalysthealth.org/