Civic Responsibility Survey

Abstract

The Civic Responsibility Survey (CRS) is a psychometric instrument designed to measure attitudes, awareness, and intentions related to civic engagement and community participation among youth. Developed by Furco, Muller, and Ammon in 1998, the scale is unique in providing distinct versions tailored for three key developmental stages: elementary school, middle school, and high school students. The CRS is frequently utilized in educational research, particularly for assessing the impact of programs like Service-Learning on the development of responsible citizenship.

Keywords

Civic responsibility, youth development, community engagement, service-learning, social efficacy, student attitudes, citizenship, psychometrics.

Authors

Furco, A., Muller, P., Ammon M.S.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Civic Responsibility Survey is to provide researchers and educators with a structured, quantitative measure of how young individuals perceive their role within their community and society at large. The scale evaluates the extent to which students feel connected to their community, are aware of social issues, and possess the motivation and sense of efficacy necessary for active participation.

The instrument is particularly useful for evaluating longitudinal changes in student attitudes toward civic responsibility, often serving as a key outcome measure in studies focused on curricular interventions or youth programs aimed at fostering democratic participation.

Construct

The central psychological construct measured by the CRS is Civic Responsibility. This construct is operationalized through various facets, including:

• Community Connection: The feeling of belonging and personal attachment to the local community.
• Awareness and Knowledge: Attention paid to news and political or social events affecting the community.
• Pro-Social Motivation: The importance placed on helping others and contributing to the greater good.
• Civic Efficacy: The belief that one has the power and ability to make a positive difference in the community.

While the core construct remains consistent, the specific phrasing and complexity of the items vary significantly between versions to align with the developmental stage and cognitive capabilities of the target age groups.

Validity

Specific statistical information regarding the detailed convergent, discriminant, or criterion validity of the CRS is generally found within the academic literature that utilizes the scale, particularly in studies concerning Service-Learning outcomes. Researchers typically rely on the face validity and content validity derived from the instrument’s clear alignment with established definitions of citizenship and civic engagement in youth development theory. Users should consult the source handbook and subsequent published studies for detailed psychometric validation data.

Reliability

Formal reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s Alpha) are not provided within the initial source description. However, as the CRS is frequently employed in large-scale evaluation studies, researchers utilizing the scale are expected to report internal consistency measures for their specific samples. The established use of the scale across multiple academic settings suggests acceptable levels of reliability have been demonstrated in various contexts.

Factor Analysis

The source content does not provide information regarding the factor structure of the scale. Given the multidimensional nature of civic responsibility (encompassing efficacy, awareness, and connection), it is likely that the longer High School version, consisting of 24 items, possesses several underlying factors. Users seeking detailed factor analysis results should refer to subsequent research publications citing the 1998 instrument.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: Multiple versions utilizing a Likert scale response format.

Language Available: English (as presented in the original source).

Population Group: Youth (K-12 students).

Age Group: Elementary school age through high school age.

Population Details: Three distinct versions are provided for Elementary School, Middle School, and High School populations.

Test Methodology: Students indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with statements related to their civic attitudes and behaviors.

• Elementary School Scoring: 3-point Likert scale (1= Disagree, 2= Agree a little, 3= Agree a lot).
• Middle and High School Scoring: 6-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Slightly disagree, 4= Slightly agree, 5=Agree, and 6= Strongly agree).

Keywords

Youth survey, educational evaluation, community service, civic efficacy, social attitudes, self-report instrument, adolescent development.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided.

Correspondence Address: Service-Learning Research Center, University of California, Berkeley (as of 1998).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1998.

Permissions and Fees: Formal permission is generally not required to use this scale. However, the instrument is copyrighted by the authors, A. Furco, P. Muller, and M.S. Ammon, who explicitly request that the proper citation be given whenever the scale is used in research or practice.

The instrument can be found in the publication Assessing Outcomes in Child and Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook, pages 140-144. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://4h.uwex.edu/evaluation/documents/ChildYouthOutcomeHandbook2005.pdf

Reference’s

Furco, A., Muller, P. & Ammon M.S. (1998). The Civic Responsibility Survey. Service-Learning Research Center, University of California, Berkeley.

Items of the Civic Responsibility Survey

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Elementary School Version (10 Items)

Please say whether you disagree or agree with each sentence. Circle the number that best matches your answer.

1. I feel like I am a part of the community.
2. I pay attention to news events that affect the community.
3. Doing something that helps others is important to me.
4. I like to help other people, even if it is hard work.
5. I know what I can do to help make the community a better place.
6. Helping other people is something everyone should do, including me.
7. I know a lot of people in the community, and they know me.
8. I feel like I can make a difference in the community.
9. I try to think of ways to help other people.
10. Everyone should pay attention to the news, including myself.

Middle School Version (10 Items)

Please indicate how strongly you disagree or agree with each statement. Circle the number that best describes your response.

1. I feel like I am a part of the community.
2. I pay attention to news events that affect the community.
3. Doing something that helps others is important to me.
4. I like to help other people, even if it is hard work.
5. I know what I can do to help make the community a better place.
6. Helping other people is something everyone should do, including me.
7. I know a lot of people in the community, and they know me.
8. I feel like I can make a difference in the community.
9. I try to think of ways to help other people.
10. Everyone should pay attention to the news, including myself.

High School Version (24 Items)

Please indicate how strongly you disagree or agree with each statement. Circle the number that best describes your response.

1. I have a strong and personal attachment to a particular community.
2. I often discuss and think about how political, social, local or national issues affect the community.
3. I participate in political or social causes in order to improve the community.
4. It is my responsibility to help improve the community.
5. I benefit emotionally from contributing to the community, even if it is hard and challenging work.
6. I am aware of the important needs in the community.
7. I feel a personal obligation to contribute in some way to the community.
8. I am aware of what can be done to meet the important needs in the community.
9. Providing service to the community is something I prefer to let others do.
10. I have a lot of personal contact with people in the community.
11. Helping other people is something that I am personally responsible for.
12. I feel I have the power to make a difference in the community.
13. I often try to act on solutions that address political, social, local or national problems in the community.
14. It is easy for me to put aside my self interest in favor of a greater good.
15. I participate in activities that help to improve the community, even if I am new to them.
16. I try to encourage others to participate in the community.
17. Becoming involved in political or social issues is a good way to improve the community.
18. I believe that I can make a difference in the community.
19. I believe that I can have enough influence to impact community decisions.
20. I am or plan to become actively involved in issues that positively affect the community.
21. Being concerned about state and local issues is an important responsibility for everybody.
22. Being actively involved in community issues is everyone’s responsibility, including mine.
23. I try to find time or a way to make a positive difference in the community.
24. I understand how political and social policies or issues affect members in the community.