Most of us are searching for something.
Connection. Purpose. A place where we matter.
A cycling club becomes friendships. A theater becomes somewhere to return. The members, audiences, volunteers and donors who show up keep those places going.
58% of young adults (18–25) reported lacking meaning or purpose in the previous month. Source: Harvard Making Caring Common, 2023 (surveyed Dec. 2022) (https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/on-edge)
1 in 4 Americans reported eating every meal alone the previous day, in 2023. Source: World Happiness Report, 2025 (https://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/sharing-meals-with-others-how-sharing-meals-supports-happiness-and-social-connections/)
The places that bring us together are thinning out.
62% took part in at least one of 16 types of voluntary associations in 2004, down from 75% in 1974. Source: General Social Survey, 1974–2004 (https://gss.norc.org/)
Local news is disappearing from whole communities.
Somebody has to be in the room where local decisions get made. In a growing number of counties, nobody is.
170 newspapers closed or merged this past year—about three every week. Source: Medill State of Local News, 2026 (https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2026/report/)
238 counties now have no locally based source of professional local news—the largest one-year increase in five years of tracking. Source: Medill State of Local News, 2026 (https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2026/report/)
47M Americans live with limited or no access to local news. Source: Medill State of Local News, 2026 (https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/2026/report/)
People want to show up. Many don’t know where to start.
And the barriers fall hardest on people with the least time and money.
54% of would-be volunteers named being unsure how to get involved as a barrier. Source: Kettering–Gallup, 2026 (https://kettering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kettering_Rpt2_031026_FINAL-Digital.pdf)
67% of people finding it very difficult to get by reported four or more barriers to taking part, versus 37% of those living comfortably. Source: Kettering–Gallup, 2026 (https://kettering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kettering_Rpt2_031026_FINAL-Digital.pdf)
Community organizations need people—and are stretched thin.
46.8% of nonprofit CEOs surveyed said recruiting sufficient volunteers was a big problem. Source: Do Good Institute, 2023 report (2022 research) (https://dogood.umd.edu/)
0.19% of analyzed foundation giving supported volunteer engagement. Source: Points of Light, 2025 (grants analyzed 2016–2025) (https://www.pointsoflight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Points-of-Light-From-Nice-to-Necessary-Unleashing-the-Impact-of-Volunteering-Through-Transformative-Investment.pdf)
Democracy needs people who understand decisions—and take part.
58% of adults failed a basic civics test in 2025. Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 2025 (https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/civics/74-of-americans-think-they-could-explain-how-america-works-58-fail-a-basic-civics-test)
56% of frequent community-event attendees believed ordinary citizens could create change, versus 26% of those who never attend. Source: Kettering–Gallup, 2026 (https://kettering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kettering_Rpt2_031026_FINAL-Digital.pdf)
Citizenry is building connective infrastructure for civic life.
Bringing local news, public meetings, organizations, and opportunities together, personalized to each person. So more people can build community, sustain local organizations, and shape the decisions that affect them.
About Citizenry
Citizenry — New York City