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Tim Pugmire
St. Paul, Minn.

Study says Minnesota is tops in civic engagement

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A new report released Monday ranks Minnesota tops in the nation for civic involvement.

Researchers with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College say no other state has more engaged citizens, when measured by voting, volunteering and trying to fix neighborhood problems.

The index was compiled based on a survey of 1,518 people contacted by phone and online about volunteering, neighborhood participation, charitable giving and other civic activities.

From 2004 to 2008, Minnesota was first in voter turnout with just over 70 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. The state came in third in volunteering rates over the past three years. Harry Boyte, the center's co-director, said engaged citizens can help government address big issues.

"It means moving from thinking of ourselves as consumers who ask what can we get, to citizens who think about what can we do to help solve problems and what can we do to contribute to the commonwealth," Boyte said.

Boyte says South Dakota was the only other state to rank in the top 10 in multiple civic engagement categories. The findings are part of a report called the Minnesota Civic Health Index.

The index is a project of the National Conference on Citizenship, a more than 60-year-old nonprofit group dedicated to promoting the nation's civic life.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)