Community College Civic Outcomes Survey, Spring 2015

The Community College Civic Outcomes Survey, Spring 2015 study examines the individual and institutional factors associated with greater civic agency, capacity, behavior, and knowledge among college students. In Spring 2015, two surveys were digitally administered at nine community colleges. These nine colleges were purposively selected for diversity in terms of geography, campus setting, size, and the racial and ethnic composition of their student bodies. From a total of 98,838 recipients, 4,788 usable surveys were returned, for an aggregate five percent response rate (response rates varied from two to 13% among the nine colleges). This data includes a sample of 3,897 from those surveys collected. The Civic Outcomes Survey (COS) was administered to students, and included questions related to voting, political and community engagement, civic knowledge, and leadership development. The Institutional Questionnaire (IQ), was admitted to each college's liaisons to The Democracy Commitment (TDC), and included questions related to college-level factors known to influence student engagement. These questions assessed for institutional intentionality towards civic engagement through college missions and strategic planning, as well as academic and faculty focus on civic involvement. Both instruments were previously tested in a small regional pilot and were subsequently refined to allow for greater response variability. Demographic variables include race, income, gender, and enrollment status.