New Hampshire combines socioeconomic and  geographical diversity with a tradition of limited state government and decentralized political control. The state possesses a political culture that is strongly influenced by its
citizen legislature, the tradition of Town Meeting, and the impact of the New
Hampshire Primary. These civic characteristics present some unique challenges for the development of civic knowledge and engagement in New Hampshire’s youth population. Students are required to
master a complex body of civic knowledge and network of political relationships, in order to be fully prepared to engage in an active civic life in New Hampshire.
To better assess whether our youth are adequately prepared to engage in the grassroots activism and political participation that underpin civic life in our state, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College presents the New Hampshire Civic Index, an exploration of civic life that is comprised of two separate statewide surveys of civic knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
Our goal is to provide a comprehensive picture of the ways in which New Hampshire’s youth and adult populations are involved in their communities, of how well-prepared they believe they are to participate in public life, and of their knowledge of, and attitudes toward, our local and national political leaders and institutions.
Our youth survey consists of 804 randomly selected New Hampshire youth (ages 13-17), and our adult survey consists of 800 randomly selected voting-age New Hampshire citizens (ages 18 and up). The two telephone surveys were fielded by the Survey Center at the University of New Hampshire, between November 2005 and February 2006, and have a margin of error of +/- 3.5%. The New Hampshire Institute of Politics is responsible for all aspects of questionnaire design and data analysis for both the youth and adult surveys. This report focuses on the highlights of the survey; for a full list
Using the adult survey as a civic benchmark, the Civic Index explores the results of the youth survey, in order to pinpoint gaps in civic knowledge and understanding and to locate those civic attitudes and behavior that may prevent students from successfully navigating critical civic relationships. In particular, the Civic Index provides important clues for ways in which our young adults can become more fully prepared to take advantage of the unique civic opportunities that New Hampshire offers its citizens.
Each survey focuses on the same five key areas of civic life. Respondents were asked questions about their civic activities, confidence in their individual civic skills, trust in our civic and political institutions, civic knowledge about local and national political leaders and institutions, and most important sources for information about politics and civic life. The adult survey results serve as a benchmark for an in-depth exploration of the youth survey results, in order to pinpoint gaps in civic knowledge and understanding, and to locate those civic attitudes and behavior that may prevent students from successfully navigating critical civic relationships.
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