Editing Community Organizing (section)

== Why Develop Civil Society ==

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=== From “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” (2020) ===

# '''Voting Rates''':
#* Voter turnout in presidential elections declined from around 62% in the 1960s to about 50% in the 1990s.
# '''Membership in Civic Organizations''':
#* Membership in parent-teacher associations (PTAs) dropped from 12 million in 1964 to 5 million in 1982.
#* Participation in local clubs and organizations fell by roughly 58% from 1975 to 2000.
# '''Social Trust''':
#* The percentage of Americans who said they trusted others fell from 58% in 1960 to 36% in 1993.
# '''Volunteering''':
#* The percentage of adults who volunteered for a civic or community organization dropped from 24% in 1974 to 20% in 1999.
# '''Informal Social Connections''':
#* The frequency of having friends over to one’s home decreased by 45% from 1975 to 1999.
# '''Religious Participation''':
#* Weekly church attendance declined from 48% in the late 1950s to 36% in the late 1990s.
# '''Union Membership''':
#* Union membership as a percentage of the workforce fell from 32% in 1955 to 14% in 1999.
# '''Family Dinners''':
#* The percentage of families who ate dinner together almost every night dropped from 50% in 1970 to 34% in 1999.
# '''Bowling Leagues''':
#* The number of people who bowled in leagues decreased by 40% from 1980 to 1993, despite an increase in the total number of bowlers.

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=== From “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again” (2020) ===

# '''Economic Inequality''':
#* The top 1% of earners captured 20% of total income in 2015, up from 10% in the 1970s.
# '''Political Polarization''':
#* The percentage of Americans who consistently hold liberal or conservative views increased from 10% in 1994 to 21% in 2014.
# '''Social Isolation''':
#* The percentage of Americans who reported feeling lonely increased from 20% in the 1980s to 40% in the 2010s.
# '''Cultural Shifts''':
#* The use of first-person singular pronouns (I, me, my) in books increased by 42% from 1960 to 2008, indicating a shift towards individualism.
# '''Generational Changes''':
#* Millennials are 30% less likely to join a community organization compared to Baby Boomers at the same age.
# '''Technological Impact''':
#* The average American spends over 11 hours per day interacting with media, up from 7.5 hours in 1980.

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=== References ===

# '''Alexis de Tocqueville''': “Democracy in America” (1835) - Observations on American civic life and social capital.
# '''William Julius Wilson''': “The Truly Disadvantaged” (1987) - Analysis of social and economic trends.
# '''Pew Research Center''': Various reports on social and political trends.
# '''Sidney Verba''': “Voice and Equality” (1995) - Research on political participation and civic engagement.
# '''Claude S. Fischer''': “To Dwell Among Friends” (1982) - Studies on social networks and community life.
# '''Robert Sampson''': “Great American City” (2012) - Research on social cohesion and urban communities.
# '''Theda Skocpol''': “Diminished Democracy” (2003) - Analysis of civic associations and social movements.

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