This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Civic Health Index: Maryland is High on Politics, Low on Lending a Hand

State ranks third-lowest when it comes to family dinners, report finds.

Marylanders love to talk politics but are less anxious to do their neighbor a favor or offer to volunteer their time.

A new report called the "Maryland Civic Health Index" gives a first-ever look at how well residents of the Free State work together for the common good. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and conversations with Marylanders statewide, the civic snapshot measures how well residents are doing at being responsible citizens.

"We are not saying this report suggests particular actions, but it is a look at where we are at," said Brad Rourke, lead author of the report and president of Mannakee Circle Group of Rockville. "We hope that organizations and policymakers take this data and begin to figure out what they will do with it."

Find out what's happening in Elkridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Not surprising is the fact that nearly 47 percent of Marylanders polled reported that they talked politics with family and friends. That is higher than the national average of 39 percent and puts Maryland at fifth-highest of all the states. More than 68 percent of Maryland's eligible voters cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election compared to a national average of 64 percent.

At the other end of the spectrum, just 16.6 percent of state residents say they exchange favors with a neighbor, ranking Maryland 27th among all states.

Find out what's happening in Elkridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When it comes to volunteering, the study reported about 30 percent of Marylanders lend a hand, about 3 percent higher than the national average, and 23rd overall.

Maryland ranked as one of the worst states in the country when measuring those residents who eat dinner at least a few times a week with family or other household members. While 87 percent of those polled here said they did share dinner together, the percentage put Maryland as the third-worst state in the country for that measure.

"Leaders in Maryland recognize that our communities become stronger, more resilient, and more capable of taking on today's toughest challenges when volunteering and service are at the core of our economic development framework," said David B. Smith, executive director of the National Conference on Citizenship, which assisted in preparing the report. "We hope this data will empower leaders in Maryland to use this data as a vehicle to foster citizen-centered solutions moving forward."

Prompted by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, the National Conference on Citizenship worked to develop a national report and partnered with a variety of local organizations to prepare complimentary reports on state and local levels.

Rourke, who is the founder and publisher of the community news and opinion site Rockville Central, said he hopes the report can provide the baseline to determine if efforts to improve civic citizenship are working.

"The whole point is that for many years we have been concerned with a sense of 'Is civic life declining or degrading?' — that the tenor of political conversation are reduced and people are involved less. There is a range of civic concerns," Rourke said.  "The only way to know if those concerns are true is to take a look. And the only way to know if we are improving is to have a yardstick."

To read the Maryland Civic Health Index click here.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?