Advancing Civic Health for a Stronger Ohio

Leadership Ohio (LO) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) committed to making Ohio the best state to live and work. In recent years we have evolved to focus on leadership for a healthy democracy, advancing constructive dialogue across red and blue divides, and revitalizing Ohio’s landscape of civic clubs and associations to support vibrant and healthy communities.

Introducing the Ohio Civic Health Initiative (OCHI)
In 2025 we are conducting an assessment of Ohio’s civic health and leveraging this analysis to inspire greater hope and engagement in Ohio’s civic life.

The strength of Ohio’s future depends on its civic health. A true belief in civic health recognizes that the real building blocks of a healthy democracy aren’t found in Washington DC—they’re found in ordinary neighborhoods, in the ways we engage with one another, in how we come together to solve problems, to help each other, and in the trust we build through everyday interactions. In a world that often divides us into red and blue and us versus them, a commitment to civic health asks us to view the world not through the lens of division, but through the lens of community and what we can accomplish together.

What is civic health?
Civic health is exactly what it sounds like - it’s a measure that reflects the degree to which citizens participate in their communities. More precisely, civic health “measures how effectively a community works together to promote the common good, address collective challenges, and improve the quality of life for all its members” (NCoC, 2024).

A Civic Health Index (CHI) is a report that analyzes existing valuable data on a multitude of civic behaviors such as volunteering, voting, charitable giving, attending public meetings, and participation in community life. The 2025 Ohio CHI will reveal how Ohio fares on these many counts, how it compares to other states, and how it bodes with the Nation’s soon to be released National Civic Health Index.

Ohio’s CHI will be used to innovate new ways to increase Ohioans’ civic participation, generate dialogue, and catalyze sustainable civic improvement strategies.

Why does civic health matter?
Republican Self-Government 
Citizens are central to governance and representative democracy. Today, there are worrying signs that U.S. democracy is declining (NCOC, 2021), including downward trends in U.S. electoral confidence, government transparency, and increasing levels of corruption (NCOC, 2021; Repucci & Slipowitz, 2021). The state of our civic health will determine if citizens continue to respond to and improve the many public policies and laws that affect their lives daily and for whom the policies and laws are intended to serve. Citizens working together, sharing viewpoints, and communicating with democratic institutions – à la civic health - can reduce harms and errors, and build habits that ensure that democracy endures (2023 Indiana Civic Health Index).

Economic and Community Development 
Civic engagement is a driver of economic and community development. Civic engagement is strongly correlated with trust. When high levels of trust exist, there are fewer obstacles to conducting efficient and equitable transactions under the rule of law. In addition, when we engage, we build connections to one another and create the social capital needed to keep residents invested in the wellbeing of their communities (2023 Indiana Civic Health Index).

On the flip side, we know that polarization comes with many costs. The latest research connecting civic health and business reveals workplace incivility’s staggering economic impact: workplace incivility costs businesses approximately $2 billion daily. Politics is now a top driver of incivility at work with 78% of U.S. workers facing poor treatment because of their political views. “The staggering amount comes from SHRM’s latest Civility Index, released Aug. 7, 2024 which finds in its analysis that U.S. organizations collectively lose more than $1.2 billion in reduced productivity per day due to uncivil behaviors at work and $828 million per day due to absenteeism caused by incivility. According to the Index, workers who experienced or witnessed incivility at work reported an average productivity loss of approximately 31 minutes per occurrence, while incivility is causing others to intentionally avoid the workplace altogether” (Workplace Incivility Expected to Rise in 2025, 2024; Incivility’s Cost to Employers: $2 Billion a Day, 2024).

Health and Well-Being
Physical, psychological, and behavioral health and wellbeing are closely connected to civic health. Recent studies, including those conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Rand Corporation, document the important role civic engagement, including voting, volunteering, and participating in civic organizations plays in addressing community health related challenges. Being socially disconnected increases our risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, anxiety, and premature death, yet about a third of adults and half of young people experience loneliness.

Ohio itself is at the center of the opioid, substance use, and mental health crises, witnessing some of the highest rates of overdose and suicide deaths in the country. Nearly 25% of Ohioans live with a mental health issue and 1 in 13 live with a substance use disorder (SOAR, 2024). Individual purpose, anchored in helping others, can strengthen physical and mental health. Research shows that people with a strong sense of purpose may experience lower levels of depression and anxiety and greater resilience in the face of stress (Murthy, 2024).

Ohio CHI: Expected Outcomes
* Comprehensive assessment of Ohio's civic health
* Recommendations for improving Ohio's civic health
* Increased public awareness of Ohio’s civic health
* Foundation for long-term improvement in civic health

📩 Interested in supporting the Ohio Civic Health Initiative? Contact us at lisaduty@leadershipohio.org for more information.