The Puget Sound region is more civically engaged than other metropolitan areas in the country, according to Seattle City Club's latest Civic Health Index.
The report has come out every few years since 2011. It tracks several metrics for civic engagement, such as voter participation and charitable donations.
But civic health doesn't just refer to those traditional ideas of civic engagement. It also refers to, "whether we're good neighbors, what our literacy [is] like when it comes to news and information, and what's the public trust in the community when it comes to governments," according to City Club Executive Director Diane Douglas.
The index compiles different kinds of data from both federal and local sources. Broadly, the region is doing well, Douglas said.
But she cautions that it's important to look at demographic breakdowns in certain metrics. She hopes decision makers can use that information to figure out where people are feeling disenfranchised and how they can get more involved.
"It's got to be a really important part of the mix of how we address poverty, how we address racism, how do we address immigrant support in the community," Douglas said.
