Residents in the Mid-Hudson region believe they can play a role in improving their community. 77% believe they can have at least a moderate impact on the place in which they live. This closely mirrors residents’ attitudes five years ago.
About half of all residents who feel they can make a difference in their community view volunteerism as the best way to do so. 37% mention involving other people as the best way to have an impact. Those that believe they can make a difference are less likely to think complaining to authorities or making monetary donations are the most effective means of improving their community.
Indeed, 56% of all residents report they regularly volunteer or actively participate in a civic organization, a church, or a club.
Residents are just as involved in their community as they were in 2002 when 57% of the population reported being active in civic organizations.
Some residents are more likely than others to engage in volunteer work or to be active in community organizations. For instance, 63% of African American residents volunteer or are active in a civic group compared with just 56% of white residents and only 45% of Latino residents.
Residents over the age of thirty are much more likely to be involved in their community through volunteer work or other forms of civic participation than younger residents.
Household income also plays a role in civic
participation.Residents with a household
income of $30,000 a year or more tend to be much more active in their community
than residents with a lower income.Low
income households with children and in general, residents whose annual
household income is less than $15,000, are among the least likely to be
civically engaged.
Mid-Hudson Valley residents who own property or a business in the area are also much more likely to be active in their community than those who do not.
