Civic Engagement at

San Francisco State University

Berkeley Miller, Ph.D. Director, Academic Institutional Research

Berkeley@sfsu.edu

October 5, 2009

 Survey Development

• American Association of State Colleges and Universities

• Measure institutional impact over the course of an undergraduate experience with respect to: – Preparation for success in the workplace – Preparation for civic engagement – Acquisition of global skills

• Field Tested at 13 institutions, including SFSU

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

SFSU Administration

• Administered to freshmen, Fall 2008

• To seniors, Spring 2009

• Re-weighted to reflect gender, race/ethnicity & class-levels of respondents

Respondents by Gender & Class Level

Class Level Gender

TotalWomen Men

First‐time Freshmen

Count Row %

550 66.9%

272 33.1%

822 100.0%

Seniors Count Row %

645 55.7%

512 44.3%

1,157 100.0%

Total Count Row %

1,195 60.4%

784 39.6%

1,979 100.0%

 

            

                     

                

                           

                    

  

Political Involvement

Survey Questions Government Level

Student Local State Federal Are you Registered to vote? Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Informed myself about (Read or watched news, watched debates, attended rallies, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

Discussed political issues about (Joined a political organization, blogged, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

Promoted a candidate for (Wore campaign button, gave money, joined Facebook group, displayed bumper sticker, etc.)

Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

Worked on a campaign in (Registered voters, volunteered, canvassed a neighborhood, etc.) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

Voted Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

 

       

   

Political Involvement

Informed Myself About: 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt

 

       

     

Political Involvement

Discussed Political Issues About: 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt

 

       

     

Political Involvement

Promoted a Candidate In: 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

Freshmen 40.0% Seniors

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt

 

       

       

Political Involvement

90.0%

Worked on a Campaign In:

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

40.0%

50.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt

 

       

Political Involvement

Voted 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

Student Govt Local Govt State Govt Federal Govt

 

        

                          

              

               

                          

                          

          

   

Civic Engagement How Frequently Activity How Effectively

Never Rarely Some‐times Often

Not able to do

effectively

Able to do somewhat effectively

Able to do

effectively 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5

Create a plan to address an issue or a problem in your community (campus, local, etc.) Raise awareness about an issue or a problem Organize a group to address an issue or problem Identify others who could help deal with an issue or a problem in your community

Present your opinion about an issue in the media (for example, blog, email, radio call‐in, letter to editor ) Organize a petition

     

                            

   

Civic Engagement: Frequency

Sometimes & Often 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Create a plan Raise Organize a Identify others Present your Organize a One or More awareness group opinion petition (Rarely to

Often)

   

               

     

Civic Engagement: Effectiveness Somewhat Effectively to Effectively

90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

Create a plan Raise awareness Organize a group Identify others Present your Organize a opinion petition

                

                

                     

                

                  

                  

                   

               

                      

Beliefs About Community

People should not try to make a contribution to their community

1 2 3 4 5 6 People should try to make a contribution to their community

People cannot play important role in making the world better 1 2 3 4 5 6

People can play important role in making the world better

By working together, people cannot influence decisions that affect their community

1 2 3 4 5 6 By working together, people can influence decisions that affect their community

Communicating with decision‐makers does not help people solve problems facing their community

1 2 3 4 5 6

Communicating with decision‐makers helps people solve problems facing their community

During the past 12 months, did you participate in activities to help others? Yes No

   

      

    

 

     

Beliefs About Community

Effectively (Top Two Categories) 90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

People make a People play Work together Communication Participated in contribution important role influences decisions solves problems activites

                  

               

   

Social Justice: Work in Groups of People Who Differ from Me

Frequency and Effectiveness 100.0%

90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

.0%

Freshmen

Seniors

Frequently: Work with different people Effectively: Work with different people

   Summary: Political Involvement • Informed Myself & Discussed Political Issues

– Frosh more involved in student government, seniors more involved at local, state, & federal levels

– Differences usually statistically significant

• Promoted Candidate & Worked on Campaign • Frosh more involved at all government levels • Differences usually statistically significant

• Voting • Frosh more in student government; seniors at other

levels; all differences statistically significant • But freshman may not have had the opportunity to vote

   Summary: Civic Engagement

• Frequency – Frosh more engaged than seniors; Four activities have

statistically significant differences (Create a plan, Identify others, Present your opinion, Organize a petition)

• Effectiveness – Both freshman and seniors report high levels of

effectiveness, but senior have higher levels

– These differences are statistically significant except for Organize a group

   Summary: Community Beliefs

• Large majorities (80%-90%) of freshmen and seniors believe people working together can make a difference in communities; no statistically significant differences

• About 45% of freshmen & seniors reported participating in activities to help others during the past 12 months; no statistically significant differences

 Social Justice

• Large majorities of freshmen (83%) and seniors (90%) say they frequently work with diverse others; these differences are statistically significant

• Even larger majorities say they work Somewhat Effectively to Effectively with these diverse others; these differences also are statistically significant