Action Over Dialogue: The Case for Prioritizing Local Civic Engagement
Key Finding
A 500+-respondent survey across eight rural communities found that joint local action, not dialogue alone, is what actually builds social trust and belonging — a useful evidence check for dialogue-centered practitioners.
About this research
This report from Trust for Civic Life and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University presents survey findings from 584 residents (of about 2,150 invited) across eight rural U.S. communities, recruited through local Civic Hub networks in October 2024 using questions adapted from established instruments like the World Values Survey. It finds that taking joint local action — not conversation alone — was what most strongly predicted residents’ sense of trust, agency, and belonging, while trust in national institutions lagged far behind trust in local ones.
