Civic Learning Round-Up: September

A new in-depth survey of 16- to 40-year-olds shows that members of the Gen Z and Millennial generations are active consumers of news and information.

In this series, Citizens & Scholars compiles the best recent articles, reports, and research from around the civic learning field. Stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends, and developments in efforts to build effective citizens.

New Report:

A new in-depth survey of 16- to 40-year-olds shows that members of the Gen Z and Millennial generations are active consumers of news and information, with nearly a third of them willing to pay for it. But their relationship with the news in complex—their trust in the press is low, many are experiencing digital fatigue, and they are worried about misinformation in both traditional and social media.

The report is the latest study from the Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the American Press Institute and The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The study features a survey of 5,975 American ages 16 to 40.

Key findings:

Millennials and Gen Z use traditional news outlets, not just social platforms, and pay for news
These generations have both traditional and novel expectations from the news media, but at the same time, enjoyment of the news is falling
Millennials and Gen Z are feeling digital fatigue and have adopted different tactics to combat it
Trust in the press is low, but so is trust in social media, and local news fares better than national
Many believe the media fails to accurately cover communities of color and immigrants in America

Read the full report

Youth Civic Development

Weeding out fake news for a stronger democracy | Porticus
Our education system is not setting up students for success | Op-Ed, Hechinger Report

“Our education system is failing to educate the next generation to face the challenges of our times. We are not setting our children up for success.

To fix this, we need to deepen our investments in civics and history instruction, bolstered by an emphasis on critical thinking skills.”

Civics Education Needed Now More Than Ever | Public News Service
Constitution Day Teaching Resources | Medium
3 ways an honest history education can heal a fractured country | District Administration
How ‘Fair’ Is Our Government? And Other Big Questions Teachers Are Posing for Constitution Day | Ed Week
Civics lessons can improve trust in courts, democracy | Op-Ed, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Educating Young Americans for Citizenship is Our Schools’ Top Job | C&S Perspective

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Higher Education & Campus Life

College mission: Encourage diverse views but protect democracy | Boston Globe

“Our job as administrators and teachers is not to tell students what to think about politics but to help them formulate their own views while considering the best available information and most thoughtful perspectives.”

-Michael S. Roth

Higher Ed Must Change or Die | Op-Ed, Inside Higher Ed
A new political divide: Nearly half of college students wouldn’t room with someone who votes differently | NBC News/Generation Lab survey
The ‘Safe Enough’ Campus, 2022 | Op-Ed, Inside Higher Ed
MIT’s efforts to get out the vote make an impact | MIT News
Oakland University named among America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting | Oakland University News
10 Scholars Expanding Perspectives on the Hispanic Experience | C&S Scholars You Should Know
America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting | Washington Monthly
Communities Of Practice As A Pathway To Increasing Campus Civic Engagement | Forbs

Community & Workplace Civic Engagement

Shiva Rajbhandari, Idaho Teen Activist, Won Election to the Boise School Board | Teen Vogue

“I hope my victory tells young people that our voices are powerful. That we are qualified to serve [in] office and we should be in positions of power. When they tell us we’re not qualified or don’t know what we’re talking about, they’re lying. Our voices have so much power that they’re afraid of what happens when students organize.”

-Shiva Rajbhandari