AP US Government and Politics

What is the top form of civic and political involvement for Americans?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What most surprised you about the information in this chart?

3. What story does this chart tell?

4. Why do you think political and civic involvement is so low in the US?

5. What is a consequence of so much civic and political apathy?

6. Is your community different from the picture depicted in this chart?

7. Which of the civic and political actions on the chart have you undertaken in the past year?

8. What would be one way to get more people more engaged in civic and political life?

9. What questions do you have about this?

10. Explain any connections you can draw between the information in the chart and the outcome of the 2016 elections:

11. Imagine that in the next year, instead of 30%, over 90% of Americans contacted a national, state, or local government official about an issue. In the comments section, discuss the effect this would have on governmental policy.

12. How do you think demographics (age, wealth, education) impact civic involvement?

Learning Extension

Check out this cool report on civic engagement in the digital age from the Pew Research Center.

Action Extension

Over the next week, undertake any one of the civic and political involvement actions from the chart, write a description of the action, what difference you believe your action made, and how your action made you feel.

Bonus Chart