Environmental communications should emphasize how volunteering for a beach cleanup (for example) really makes a difference

Photo: C1ssou via Flickr

Now here’s a survey that goes beyond the same old same old questions and answers! It’s the Civic Health Index, brought to you by the National Council on Citizenship. The bad news is they found that the tough economy is suppressing everyday citizens’ involvement in community affairs. The good news is that they have some specific recommendations about what to do about it — which corroborate a fundamental tenet of the Water Words That Work method:

As in much previous research, we find a positive relationship between a citizen’s feeling of empowerment and whether he or she is civically engaged

In particular, they noted that those who disagreed with the following three statements were far more involved in their community than those who expressed agreement with these bleak views:

• “People like me don’t have any say in what the government does.”
• “So many other people vote in the national elections that it doesn’t matter matter much to me whether I vote or not”
• “Sometimes government and politics seem so complicated that a person like me can’t understand what’s going on”

Here’s how I hope you can use the Water Words That Work method to build your audience’s sense of empowerment:

• Step One: Begin with Behavior. Don’t leave them feeling helpless as you describe the prospect of not enough clean water. Tell them what they can do to help!
• Step Two: Find Foolproof Photos. Show them them images of everyday citizens like them doing their part. It helps build their confidence that the efforts of people like them matter.
• Step Three: Swap the Shoptalk. For everyday citizens, getting tangled up in professional vocabulary and acronyms is a very disempowering and confidence-sapping experience.
• Step Four: Use the Words That Work. In particular, use the encouraging words — “You can make a difference,” “Here’s what you can do,” “others are doing their part, won’t you do yours?,” etc.

Click the link below to download the report:

America’s Civic Health Index 2009: Civic Health in Hard Times

Thanks to L.R. on the Progressive Exchange Network for sharing this!