Glossary

  1. Adult
  2. Attending Public Meetings Rate
  3. Baby Boomers
  4. Charitable Contributions
  5. Connecting to Information and Current Events
  6. Current Population Survey (CPS)
  7. Current Population Survey (CPS) Civic Engagement Supplement
  8. Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement
  9. Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting Supplement
  10. Eating Dinner with other Household Members
  11. Generation X
  12. Informal Service
  13. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
  1. Millennial Generation
  2. Older Adults
  3. Participating in a Group
  4. Political Action
  5. Service
  6. Social Connectedness
  7. Technical Note
  8. Three-year moving average
  9. Veterans
  10. Volunteer
  11. Volunteer Rate
  12. Working with Neighbors Rate

  1. Adult: Generally, the Current Population Survey (CPS) collects labor force data for 15-year-old respondents. The CPS collects data on volunteering from 15-year-old respondents, but 15-year-olds are excluded from volunteer statistics, as they are in most other publications that use data from the CPS. For statistics that are calculated from the September Volunteer Supplements, adults are defined as individuals ages 16 and older. For statistics that are calculated from the CPS Voting and Civic Engagement Supplements, adults are defined as individuals ages 18 and older. Starting with the November 2009 supplement, all questions on the Civic Engagement Supplement are administered only to those ages 18 and over.

  2. Attending Public Meetings Rate: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, 2010, have you attended any public meetings in which there was discussion of community affairs?"

  3. Baby Boomers: Individuals born between 1946 and 1964.

  4. Charitable Contributions: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, 2010, have you donated money, assets, or property with a combined value of more than $25 to charitable or religious organizations.” While this is not listed within the primary categories of civic engagement on this website, it reflects a level of investment in contributing to the social infrastructure within communities.

  5. Connecting to Information and Current Events: Data for the original indicators in this category are collected from the CPS Civic Engagement Supplement. Respondents were asked if they gathered news from the following sources: watching the news on television or got news from television Internet sites; reading a newspaper in print or on the Internet; listening to the news on radio or got news from radio Internet sites; reading news magazines in print or on the Internet; obtaining news from other Internet sources, such as blogs, chat rooms, or independent news services; and talking with friends and family about politics. The news-sources questions were discontinued after the November 2008 CPS Civic Supplement, but data  from those indicators are still available on the Data

    Download page.

  6. Current Population Survey (CPS): The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  7. Current Population Survey (CPS) Civic Engagement Supplement: Each November since 2008, the CPS administers its Supplement on Civic Engagement to adult respondents. The November 2010 CPS Civic Engagement Supplement collects information on the incidence of participating in non-electoral activities, belonging to a group, social connectedness, and connection to information and events. In November 2009, several questions from the Political Action and Connecting to Information and Current Events categories were eliminated from the CPS Civic Engagement Supplement, although data  from those indicators are still available on the Data Download page, and the sample was restricted to outgoing CPS households (one-fourth of the usual size of a CPS sample).  The cut-down version of the CPS Civic Engagement questionnaire was administered in November 2010 to the full sample of CPS households.

  8. Current Population Survey (CPS) Volunteer Supplement: Each September since 2002, the CPS administers its Supplement on Volunteering (Volunteer Supplement) to adult respondents. The CPS Volunteer Supplement collects information on the incidence of volunteering, the characteristics of volunteers, and civic life indicators in the United States.

  9. Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting Supplement: Every other November, in even-numbered years,he CPS administers its Supplement on Voting to adult respondents to collect information on the incidence of voting and voting registration in U.S. national elections.

  10. Eating Dinner with other Household Members: The indicators in this category are measured using the following CPS Civic Engagement Supplement: “During a TYPICAL MONTH in the past year, how often did you eat dinner with any of the other members of your household –basically every day, a few times a week, a few times a month, once a month, or not at all?" This question is asked solely to individuals who live with other individuals in the same household. Statistics for all geographic areas are calculated from pooled 2008-2010 CPS data.

  11. Generation X:  includes all individuals born between 1965 and 1981.

  12. Informal Service: Many people chose to engage in service outside of a formal event or organization. Within our research, we use the term ‘volunteer’ to include individuals who serve for or through an organization. Informal service statistics include individuals who responded that they had either worked with neighbors to address a community issue and/or exchanged favors with neighbors. Data on informal service come from questions found on the CPS Volunteering and Civic Engagement Supplements.

  13. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): All city statistics published here are collected from Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), which include residents of cities as well as area residents living outside the city limits. MSAs carry the name of one or more principal cities, the most heavily urbanized cities in the area; the names of the principal cities are used as designations for the city data published here. The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is responsible for determining and publishing the boundaries of MSAs. In order for an area to be designated an MSA, the area has to have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the urban core as measured by commuting ties. The MSA definitions used in the CPS Volunteering Supplements can be found in the Appendix to OMB Bulletin #03-04, issued June 30, 2003. Since then, OMB's periodic updates have changed the names and principal cities for some MSAs, but the same county-based geographic definitions described in OMB Bulletin #03-04 remain in place today.

  14. Millennial Generation: Individuals born in 1982 and after. For indicators taken from the CPS Volunteer Supplement, results are reported for Millennials who are at least 16 years old. For indicators taken from the CPS Voting and Civic Engagement Supplements, results are reported for Millennials who are at least 18 years old.

  15. Older Adults: Individuals aged 65 years old and older.

  16. Participating in a Group: The indicators in this category are measured using CPS Civic Engagement Supplement questions related to group involvement. Respondents were asked if they belonged to the following types of groups: a church, synagogue, mosque or other religious institution or organization, not counting attendance at religious services; a school group, neighborhood, or community association such as PTA or neighborhood watch group; a sports or recreation organization such as a soccer club or tennis club; a service or civic association; and any other type of group. Statistics for all geographic areas are calculated from pooled 2008-2010 CPS data.

  17. Political Action: Calculated from the questions on the November 2008 and November 2010 CPS Civic Engagement and Voting Supplements that are related to voting, voter registration, and non-electoral participation. Respondents on the Voting Supplement were asked about voting and registration status in the most recent national elections. The indicators collected from the Civic Engagement Supplement included showing support for a particular party or candidate by, for example, attending a meeting, putting up a poster, or in some other way; buying or boycotting a certain product or service because of the social or political values of the company that provides it; contacting or visiting a public official to express an opinion; attending a meeting where political issues were discussed; and taking part in a march, rally, protest, or demonstration.  Three of these indicators (supporting a party  or candidate, attending a meeting with political discussions, and participating in a demonstration) were discontinued after the November 2008 CPS Civic Supplement.

  18. Service: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement questions related to volunteering for or through an organization, working with neighbors to fix a community problem, and attending public meetings where community affairs were discussed.  Statistics for all geographic areas are calculated from pooled 2008-2010 CPS data.

  19. Social Connectedness: Calculated from the CPS Civic Engagement Supplements questions related to an individual’s social network. Respondents were asked about the following activities: eating dinner with other household members (for those that shared a household with other individuals); talking with neighbors; exchanging favors with neighbors; and communicating with friends and family via the internet. Statistics for all geographic areas are calculated from pooled 2008-2010 CPS data.

  20. Technical Note: This document provides background information on data sources and survey instruments, addresses issues of statistical reliability, and defines terms used in the report.

  21. Three-year moving average: Shows data that combines responses from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 CPS supplements to increase the reliability of the estimates.

  22. Veterans: Within this website and the corresponding documents the category of "veterans" includes people who have ever been on active military duty in the past– not necessarily during wartime – but are not currently in the military. This definition is used because the data collected was done through the Current Population Survey (CPS) and active military personnel are not included in the CPS sample.

  23. Volunteer: Persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities at any point during the 12-month period, from September 1 of the prior year through the survey week in September of the survey year. Volunteers answer "yes" to one of the following questions: "Since September 1st of last year, have you done any volunteer activities through or for an organization?" and "Sometimes people don't think of activities they do infrequently or activities they do for children's schools or youth organizations as volunteer activities. Since September 1st of last year, (have you/has he/has she) done any of these types of volunteer activities?"

  24. Volunteer Rate: The percentage of individuals who responded on the Current Population Survey's Volunteer Supplement that they had performed unpaid volunteer activities at any point during the 12-month period that preceded the survey for or through an organization.

  25. Working with Neighbors Rate: Calculated from the CPS Volunteer Supplement question, which asks: "Since September 1, 2010, have you worked with other people in your neighborhood to fix a problem or improve a condition in your community or elsewhere?"