By Maureen Hayden
CNHI Statehouse Bureau


INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Statehouse has made headlines as the site of heated debate, loud protests and a partisan boycott this session. But how much do Hoosiers know — or care — about how their government works?

That’s a question that former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton wants answered. The retired congressman, who now heads the Center for Congress at Indiana University, was at the Statehouse on Tuesday to announce the kickoff of a project to assess the “civic health” of Indiana citizens.

It’s prompted in part by a revelation of ignorance: A national survey conducted three years ago that showed only 1 in 3 Americans could name all three branches of government.

In announcing the launch of the Indiana Civic Health Index, Hamilton said there’s evidence that suggests Americans know less and care less about their government. If that’s so, he said, that endangers U.S. democracy.

Hamilton said the staff at the National Conference on Citizenship will spend the next five months assessing the civic involvement of Hoosiers, using statistical measures that gauge a wide range of factors, from voter turnout to volunteerism.

“We like to say we’re a great state,” Hamilton said. “Let’s see how great we are.”

Partnering in the project is the Indiana Supreme Court, the Indiana Bar Foundation, Indiana University Northwest and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert Rucker said the civic-health index is the first step toward finding ways to increase people’s knowledge and participation in government.

Indiana is the 16th state to undertake such a project with the National Conference on Citizenship, which uses public data, including the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, to develop the index.

A similar civic-health study conducted by the organization two years ago in Illinois found that only 15 percent of Illinois residents said they believed state government “did the right thing” most of the time.

The report concluded that a lack of trust in state government had an impact on the view Illinois residents took of other institutions, which made them less likely to get involved in their local government and community organizations.

The Indiana Civic Health Index is scheduled to be released in September.