People in communities with higher levels of civic engagement have better physical and mental health, according to public health experts.
One literary summary from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that people who are members of civic groups are more likely to be physically active, because expanding their social network made them aware of more ways to get out and get moving.
Civic participation can mean political acts such as voting, but it also includes community gardening, volunteering, playing recreational sports and attending religious services.
“As you bring people together and you look at what is needed, where are there gaps? What are the things that people want to be able to do that maybe they're not able to do right now?” said Anjali Deshpande, a clinical associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, in a Talk of Iowa interview. “Such as in physical activity, you might find out that people can't walk on the side of the road, having a sidewalk would be really beneficial.”
Deshpande said if community members bring the need for a sidewalk to their local city council or zoning commission and become part of the solution, they will both feel a sense of agency and will be able to enjoy the public good that their action brought about.
"Now people feel like, ‘Wow, I had an impact. I had some control over what happens in my community,’” she said. “They get out, they're walking on the sidewalk, and they're meeting their neighbors... they're seeing what's happening in their community.”
As appealing as the benefits of community participation are, civic engagement has been declining. Fewer people know their neighbors, and people are less likely to get involved by running for local boards and commissions, such as school boards, for example, said Deshpande. And getting involved – especially in a time that has become increasingly isolated due to technology and the long-term impacts of the pandemic – can be intimidating.
Deshpande said community organizers should be deliberate about inviting people to community spaces in an active way, going further than just putting up a flyer about an event. She said it’s especially important to reach out to people from groups historically excluded, such as people with disabilities.
One study from Social Science & Medicine found that volunteering in a community can increase psychological well-being by reducing stress. Adults 60 and older can especially benefit from volunteering, as noted in a study from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, which found that volunteers had a lower risk of cognitive impairment.
Deshpande added that civic engagement is also important for youth, contributing to academic performance and mental health.
“A lot of times we think that everything is partisan, and we think that everything is political, but we all want our children to be safe, right?,” Deshpande said. “We all want our older parents to be able to be in their homes and to be productive, and we all want a place where everybody has the opportunity for good health.”
Although there is more to civic engagement than voting, politics is often in the front of mind. And with an election just a few weeks away, and divisive issues splashed across social media feeds and news coverage, conversations involving politics can become fraught and isolating as well.
Authors Charles Kniker and Dianne Pritchard wrote about starting conversations in their new book, Raising America: Building a More Perfect Union. In a Talk of Iowa interview with Charity Nebbe, they said the goal of the book is not to change people’s minds, but to build relationships. And the key, they said is to find common ground.
“Sometimes you don't even talk about an issue, you don't talk about Trump or Harris,” Pritchard said. “You talk about fishing ... and then you can go into water pollution, if you're really gutsy, or you can just say, ‘I can't fish where I like to anymore. What do you think we should do?’ And talk about the issue without any political overtones.”
Have your neighbors helped you solve a problem? What is a bright spot in your community? Share your good news with The Sunny Side Project.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Caitlin Troutman produced this episode.
