The State of Civic Health in Maine
Overall, we’re engaged and committed, but there are areas of concern, according to a landmark new report by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs
A new report about Maine’s civic health, coauthored by Colby’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs, suggests there’s plenty of reason for optimism when it comes to Mainers’ commitments to local government, community, and public engagement.
There are cautionary findings, too, including a growing lack of trust in government at the federal level, pessimism about the future, especially for young people, and concerns about election integrity.
“Trust in institutions is foundational to the health and well-being of our democracies. When it erodes, it undermines the basic function of our systems,” said Nicholas Jacobs, assistant professor of government and faculty associate director of the Goldfarb Center. “This study and the resulting report is the first time we’ve done a deep dive in terms of evaluating the quality of civic life in our state. It provides important information about indicators that assess the state of healthy civic life and democracy in Maine and highlights our unique strengths and weaknesses.”
The study, titled Strengthening Maine’s Civic Life: Trust, Belonging, and the Future, analyzed census data and drew on an original recent Colby survey of more than 1,000 Maine residents. It measures the state’s civic health in eight areas: trust in government and each other; feelings of belonging and mattering; perceptions of community climate; the state of civic knowledge; voting; volunteering; civic awareness and participation, and hope for the future.
Erica Buswell, deputy director of the Goldfarb Center, began managing the project shortly after joining Colby in 2023. “The Goldfarb Center aims to be a valuable resource for students aspiring to become future policy leaders,” said Buswell. “This project offered students the opportunity to collaborate with Colby faculty and other experts on important civic research that has the potential to drive change. We hope the report’s findings will inform policy, guide funding priorities, shape organizational agendas, and inspire citizens to take action across the state.”
In addition to Colby’s Goldfarb Center, project partners include Public Engagement Partners and the Maine Community Foundation. They released the report Oct. 23.
Researchers used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey to determine rates of national and statewide volunteering, participation, and voting. Data on civic trust, belonging and mattering, community climate, civic knowledge, obstacles to participation, trust in elections and voting, and civic participation come from a supplemental survey designed by Jacobs and Quixada Moore-Vissing of Public Engagement Partners. Fielded by Jacobs and his students in the spring, it was an online, non-probability, opt-in survey of 1,036 adult Maine residents.
Overall, Maine exhibits considerable civic strengths. Based on the most recent U.S. Census data, Maine ranks first in the nation in attending public meetings and participating in groups; third in volunteering; fourth in contacting or visiting public officials; sixth in discussing issues with family, friends, or neighbors; and ninth in working with neighbors to improve their neighborhood or community.
And, as has been the case since the 1980s, Mainers vote at levels significantly above the national average. In the 2020 presidential election, 71 percent of Maine citizens voted, compared to 66 percent for the nation. During the general election in November 2022, Maine voters turned out at a higher rate than voters in any other state, with 71 percent of active registered Maine voters participating.
In addition, the vast majority of its citizens feel safe in their communities, and six in 10 believe that “while people might not always have the same opinion, we are still able to find common ground.”
The research flags some of Maine’s challenges. Less-educated, lower-income, and younger Mainers were less likely to feel that they belong and matter in their communities. Those with less education were also less likely to vote or feel they are able to influence decisions in their community.
Seventy percent of Mainers are hopeful about the state’s future, but most residents surveyed are pessimistic about the future of Maine’s children. They are fearful that young people will have to leave the state to achieve economic opportunity and that they will be unlikely to achieve a better life than their parents. Additionally, Mainers’ trust in government diminishes from the local level (51 percent) to the state level (37 percent) to the national level (17 percent).
While Mainers are ambivalent about the influx of new people coming to their state, most feel either positive (53 percent) or neutral (34 percent) about more racially and culturally diverse people coming to their communities. Additionally, a majority of Mainers (six out of 10) from all demographic backgrounds feel that finding common ground for solutions to today’s problems remains achievable, despite our differences.
While Maine leads the nation in participation in national and local elections, about 30 percent to 40 percent of Mainers are not voting. Citizens have mixed feelings about the benefits of ranked-choice voting, and about a third of Mainers lack confidence that the 2024 presidential election will be properly counted—although a strong majority believe there won’t be any problems.
A visit from the governor
On the evening of the report’s release, Maine Gov. Janet Mills came to campus to discuss some of its findings in a wide-ranging discussion as part of the Goldfarb Center’s In the News, a weekly conversation and Q&A series focusing on policy, politics, and the press.
Mills cited the value of the report and thanked those responsible for drafting it.
“This report highlights the engagement of Maine people, including their high voting rates, dedication to government, and spirit of cross-party collaboration,” the governor said. “I thank the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs for producing this insightful report, which underscores the deep commitment of Maine people to civic life and the importance of working to improve civic engagement to ensure a healthy and vibrant democracy for generations to come.”
Colby President David A. Greene and student Niahm Lacey ’25 moderated the discussion with the governor in the Page Commons Room. About 170 students attended the talk, along with dozens of community members, faculty, and staff.
Responding to a question from Lacey about the report’s finding that people fear youth will have limited opportunities for economic mobility, Mills said her administration has tried to address the issue by tailoring policies that benefit young people and families. These include student debt relief, free community college for recent high school graduates, and job training focused on in-demand, future-forward industries. In addition, the state has extended free meals for all school children in Maine, relieving young families of some financial burdens with a goal of creating equity.
The governor also noted that since the pandemic, people from around the country are relocating to Maine for reasons of opportunity and quality of life.
“We have one of the highest in-migration rates of any state in the country and certainly the highest in New England. And these are mostly young families who want to come here,” she said. “After Covid, people realize it’s a safe place to come with great natural resources. And for some families, they are working remotely from home. We are trying to make it more pleasant and economically viable for people to come here and stay here and not have to leave the state of Maine to find a good paying job.”
Addressing a student question about the perceived state of political gridlock at the federal level, Mills said that Maine has historically been among the leaders in the country sending bipartisan politicians to Washington, D.C., who have successfully worked to build consensus and thus faith in government.
“I go back to people like Margaret Chase Smith, George Mitchell, Edmund Muskie, Olympia Snowe, Bill Cohen—we have always had these stand-up people going to the United States Senate and the United States Congress, and I am proud of that history. They are Republicans and they are Democrats. We have sent some pretty significant productive, intelligent people to Congress.”
In part, she attributed Mainers’ ability to achieve consensus to the state’s town meeting tradition, where residents vote directly on budget items and policy matters related to town business. The town meeting is an example of neighbors talking to neighbors and settling their differences through a civil “give-and-take” process, she said.
“A lot of stuff gets done at town meetings,” Mills said. “It’s democracy at work. It doesn’t stoop to the level of stupid sloganeering and mudslinging.”
The governor also spoke about an initiative among her gubernatorial colleagues across the country to address polarization by embracing the theme “disagree better,” which encourages learning about each other in ways that make it easier to talk about controversial, divisive topics.
Polarization is a serious issue, she added, and individual citizens can work to solve it by being better informed. Directly addressing students, she urged them to use the fact-finding, “truth-seeking” tools of research available “at your fingertips” to make informed decisions.
“I am so excited you have those tools to dig into the facts and not assume the headline is the end of the story and not assume that a slogan really means something, but to flesh out the real common ground and contrasts among people,” she said.
‘Important research’
Maine Community Foundation CEO Deborah Ellwood said her organization was proud to be the primary sponsor of the report. “Our own recent statewide needs assessment showed strong civic health as an essential prerequisite for our ability to work together to address challenges such as climate resilience, affordable housing, and economic opportunity. Congratulations to Colby College’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs for an important contribution to Maine.”
The full report can be accessed here.
