The election is over. Now what?
Even after the last ballot is cast, civic engagement remains vital to the lives of young people between the ages of 13 and 25.
How civically engaged are teens and young adults?
In Springtide’s 2024 survey, most young people (72%) report that they have participated in at least one civic engagement activity in the past 12 months. At least 20% of respondents say that in the past year they have developed an opinion about a political issue or candidate, engaged in volunteer work, or donated to charity.
Youth civic engagement correlates with flourishing.
Young people who participate in a greater number of civic engagement activities tend to flourish at higher levels than those who participate in fewer activities. We measure flourishing using the Flourishing Scale, which assesses well-being based on how a respondent answers questions about relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism. Young people who did at least one of the civic engagement activities listed scored higher on the Flourishing Scale than those who did none.
- I lead a purposeful and meaningful life.
- My social relationships are supportive and rewarding.
- I am engaged and interested in my daily activities.
- I actively contribute to the happiness and well-being of others.
- I am competent and capable in the activities that are important to me.
- I am a good person and live a good life.
- I am optimistic about my future.
- People respect me.
Source: Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of well-being: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 39, 247-266.
The four activities most strongly related to higher flourishing are (1) engaging in community service or volunteer work, (2) donating money to support a charity, (3) participating in a public protest, and (4) working with others in their community to solve a problem. Almost half of young people (48%) report having participated in at least one of these four activities in the past 12 months.
See how young people are navigating civic life. Order Cultivating Care: How & Why Young People Participate in Civic Life to see our newest data on how and why young people create and sustain patterns of care in their civic lives and how adults can support them.
Note: See survey responses in the topline survey results and review methodology here.
