Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement's "Batten Surveys": A Regional Civic Capital Assessment 2008 - 2009 "Civic engagement is more than just attending a meeting or a public hearing. It's not a passive concept; it's an active concept. It's when people actively engage in their neighborhood or community either by doing something or really engaging in the thinking around doing something that allows them to create some positive change." -Chris Gates, Executive Director, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement

1. The Batten Surveys:
A Regional Civic Capital Assessment
2008-2009

2. The Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement gives special thanks to
Jane P. Batten for her generous support of this project.
The mission of the Center is to support sustainable deliberative democracy in Hampton Roads and to connect public decision
making with civil dialogue and the informed judgment of the region’s citizens.
Board of Directors: Program Fellows:
Jim Babcock Joshua G. Behr
Chris Bonney Carolyn Caywood
Mary Bunting Barbara L. Clark
Minette Cooper Michael Dingerson
Louis Guy Kevin Fairley
Clyde Hoey, Ramesh Kapoor
Vice-Chairman and Treasurer Ed Maroney
Quentin Kidd Nicole Auer McGee
Henry Light Ken Wheeler
Jim Oliver, Chairman
Staff:
Bob O’Neill
Vivian Paige Betsy McBride, Executive Director
Anita Poston, Counsel Susan Sharp, Administrative Director
Suzanne Puryear, Secretary Todd Solomon, Program Director
Roger Richman
Webmaster: Mike Rau
John Rowe
Graphic Design: Sue Curcio
Alvin Schexnider
Bert Schmidt Caitlin Dana
Printing: Rocket Direct
Ray Taylor
Sanford Wanner
Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement
5200 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23508
Phone: 757.889.9359
www.hrcce.org

3. The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment
Taken together the surveys attempt to assess the civic capital of the region. This “capital” is the civic values, skills and
infrastructure needed for citizens to work together to define and shape the region’s quality of life.
For self-government to be sustained, citizens must be informed on the public issues of their time and take their turns
at active citizenship. All citizens, including those serving in elected and appointed positions, must accept their ultimate
responsibility to provide for the practices of democracy.
There are critical roles for all. And there must be a shared belief that citizens can be co-producers of the ideas and
strategies that define the future of our region.
We become regional citizens as we work together on the issues of concern for the entire region. We offer this
baseline assessment to begin a regional conversation about where we are and if this is where we choose to be.
Summary: Are We Participating?
• The majority of Hampton Roads citizens have been
The Batten Surveys Youth Focus Group
actively involved in their community during the past
year.
A group of youth leaders, ages 17 to 22 years old, was
• The majority of Hampton Roads citizens are showing
invited to join a conversation about civic engagement
a commitment to civic life.
and roles for citizens held at WHRO on March 12,
• The majority are participating in one or more stages of
2009. Participants described civic engagement as being
the political process.
involved in the community, taking responsibility for the
• The percentage of adults who say they have not been
community and its people, and being knowledgeable and
actively involved in their community during the past
aware of important issues in the community.
year is extremely small, perhaps as few as one-in-fifty
Several had started organizations within their
persons.
communities or schools in response to needs. As activists,
they did not feel that most public policy problems are
While Hampton Roads residents are widely affiliated
too big or too complicated for citizen engagement. They
with civic, social, and political networks, it is not clear how
said that elected officials have to reach out and then
connected these networks are to each other or to larger
show citizens that they are listening. But youth also have
organizational structures, how connected they are to other
the responsibility to be prepared to respond and to be
similar groups throughout the region, or whether the
knowledgeable about important public issues.
nature of their interests has any connection to discussion
of issues of regional importance throughout the Hampton
Summary:
Roads area.
The Batten Civic Health Telephone Survey
How Are We Informing Ourselves?
This survey was conducted between March 2 and 9,
• Almost two-thirds of adults interviewed said they
2009 among a representative sample of 1,997 adult
follow news about local government and public
residents of the sixteen communities of Hampton Roads,
affairs either somewhat or very closely. Most of the
including: the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton,
remainder say they pay attention to issues they believe
Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk
touch their lives.
and Virginia Beach; and Gloucester, Isle of Wight,
• Only about one-in-ten adults say they pay no attention
Southampton, Surry, James City and York Counties.
to news about local government and public affairs.
• Just over sixty-percent of those interviewed believe
that there is a reliable source of information about
issues facing the region.
The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment 1

4. Do We Trust the Institutions Important for Can We Work Together on Regional Issues?
Our Public Work? • The vast majority of adults interviewed said they
• Citizens show a moderate level of trust in municipal are interested in working with other people to find
employees “to do what is right,” but less for local and solutions to the challenges they believe are the region’s
state elected governmental representatives. highest priorities.
• Citizen trust in the media “to do what is right” is less • The majority of Hampton Roads citizens do not
than confident. believe their local municipality invites citizen input.
• Overall, trust in all of these institutions is just barely
on the positive end of the trust spectrum. Where Can We Work Together on Regional Issues?
Only about a third of respondents, however, believe
Citizens have a tentative, perhaps even slightly there are currently “safe places” where they can go to
skeptical stance regarding elected governmental discuss problems of regional scope and work with others
representatives at the local and state level and the print to find solutions to these problems. For some, the first
media, but are less skeptical towards school boards, inclination is to go to a local or state government office.
television, and government employees. Existing trust levels of government representatives may
impact that location, along with the complication of local
What Do We Say Is the Most Important Regional Issue? entities and regional issues.
There does not appear to be any single “regional” Asked about the trustworthiness of a variety of
issue that galvanizes much more than a quarter of the specific possible sponsors of regional discussions, study
region’s adults. When asked to name the most pressing participants were again fragmented in their thinking. Two
single issue facing the Hampton Roads region, study potential sponsors, churches and colleges/universities,
participants mentioned hundreds of different thoughts. were accorded the greatest trust, followed by “a nonprofit
Just over half could be sorted into three broad categories: organization focused on civic engagement,” public
libraries, the YMCA and the League of Women Voters.
• Just over a quarter of citizens believe “the economy” is
the biggest issue facing the region.
• About one-in-five Hampton Roads citizens believe
“transportation” is the biggest issue facing the region
• About one-in-ten Hampton Roads adults believe
education is the region’s leading issue.
Chart 1. Community Participation (Last Twelve Months)
Civic & service clubs 17
Civic & service clubs
Work-related 23
Wo rk-related
Pu blic aaffairs
Public ffairs 27
Social 29
So cial
Arts & culture 30
Arts & cu lture
Education 35
Educa tion
Support groups 36
Suppo rt groups
Athletic/recreation 38
Athletic/recreation
Charity 52
Char ity
Religion 70
Re lig ion
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%t Participation - Last Twelve Months
%t Parti cipati on - La st T we lve M on ths
2 The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment

5. Chart 2. Civic Participation (Last Twelve Months)
Donated to local
Donate d to lo cal
34
political causes
pol itical cau se
Attended neighborhood
Atten ded neig hbo rhood
37
meeting
me eting
Discussed issues with
Discu ssed is su es wi th
37
strangers
stran ge rs
Worked with others to
Wo rked wi th oth ers t o
38
solve problems
solve probl em s
Donated to
Donate d to
77
charity/service
ch arity /service
Discussed is su es with
Discu ssed issues wi th
82
neighbors
ne ighbo rs
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%t Participation - Last Twelve Months
%t Parti cipati on - La st T we lve M on ths
Chart 3. Political Action (Last Twelve Months)
Attendedlo cal
Attended local
20
government meeting
gover nment meeting
Expressed opinion
Expresse d opinion
29
using on line me dia
using online media
Contacted lo cal govt to
Con tacted local govt to
35
expressoopinion
express pinion
Showedsupport for
Showed support for
40
candidate/issue
candi date/issue
Visited municipal Web
Vis ited mun icipal W eb
70
site or TV channel
site or TV chann el
Voted 92
Voted
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%t%t articipa tion - La st Twelve Months
P Participation - Last Tw elve M onths
The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment 3

6. Chart 4. How Closely Follow News of Local Government and Public Affairs
Somewh at
Somewhat
clo sely on all
closely on all
issu es
issues
37%
37%
Mo stly thos e of
Mostly those of
my city/county
my city/county
12%
Very Very closelyon
clos ely on 12%
all issues
all issu es
26% Mo stly thos e
Mostly those
26% affecting my
Don'tpay
Don’t pay affe cting my
life and work
attention to life 12% work
and
attention to
govt/public
govt/publ ic 12%
affairs news
13%
affair s news
13%
Chart 5. Reliable Sources of Information About Issues Facing Hampton Roads Region
Newspaper 17
Newspa per
Television 11
Telev ision
Government 6
Government
Media (unspecified) 6
Medi a (unspe cified)
Internet 4
Intern et
Personal contacts 2
Persona l co ntacts
Radio 1
Radio
Civic groups 1
Civic groups
Church/Bible/God 1
Church /Bible/God
Other/Don’t know 13
Other /Don' t know
There are no reliable sources 26
Ther e are no reliable sour ces
Don’t know if there are reliable reliab le
Don't know if ther e are sources 13
sources
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
% Mentions
% Mentions
4 The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment

7. Chart 6. Average Trust Ratings for Institutions
Local governmentgovern m ent
Loc al employees
6.50
employ ees
Local television news 6.34
Loc al television news
Local school board 6.11
Loc al school board
Local daily newspaper 5.84
Lo cal daily new spaper
Loc al elected
Local elected representatives 5.65
represe ntatives
Elected s tate
Elected state representatives 5.63
represe ntatives
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Low Trust t High Trust
Lo w Trus Hig h Tru st
Chart 7. Regional Priorities
Economy 28
Ec onomy
Transportation 21
Trans por tation
Education 10
Educa tion
Crime 4
Cr im e
Taxes 2
Ta xe s
Military 2
M ilitary
job s
Environment 1
En vironment
Racial reconciliation 1
Ra cial reconc iliation
Healthcare 1
He alth care
Growth/sprawl 1
Growth /sprawl
Other 23
Other
Don’t know
Don't know 6
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
% Mentions
% Mentions
The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment 5

8. Chart 8. Interest in Working with Others to Find Solutions to Regional Issues
Not at all Don’t know
Not at all
Don't know
interested 2%
interested
2% Very interested
Very interested
11%
11%
26%
26%
Not very
Not very
interested
interested
18%
18%
Somewhat
Somewhat
interested
interested
43%
43%
Chart 9. Does Your Local Government Invite Citizen Input?
Don't know
Don’t know
2%
2%
Yes
Yes
36%
36%
NoNo
62%
62%
6 The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment

9. Chart 10. Trustworthy Sponsors of Citizens Discussions of Regional Issues (Prompted)
Churches 22
Churches
Colleges/universities 20
Co lleges/u niver sities
Non -profit focuse d on
Non-profit focused on
17
civic engagement
civ ic engag eme nt
Public libraries 16
Publi c libra ries
YMCA 5
YMCA
Leag ue of Women
League of Women
4
Voters
Voters
Other 6
Other
Don’t know
Don't know 10
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
% Mentions
% Mentions
Summary: The Batten Survey Interviews
During late 2008 and early 2009, Center friends and Process
board members conducted interviews of many individuals All interview groups said they expect fair, open,
engaged in the public work of the region, either as transparent and accountable government that operates
appointed or elected officials or as civic leaders. Each with integrity and competence. There was mention that
interview included the same questions, but not everyone training to increase competence around civic engagement
answered every question. processes is necessary and that dedicated resources and
public involvement policies will be needed to increase
Information and Communication public involvement.
The matched set – the citizens’ right to be informed Civic engagement around the big strategic decisions
and the duty to be informed echoed through the was called for. An elected official said civic engagement
interviews with elected and appointed officials and with should be used “often and continuously” and another said
other civic leaders. A citizen asked to be trusted with there is a “need to get public input from day one and not
good and bad news while another worried that bad news after decisions have been made.”
might be used irresponsibly against officials. Trust and the The duty to be supportive when appropriate
sharing of information were linked by many interviewees. was added to the often-mentioned duty to speak up.
All groups said that citizens have a right to be listened Civility and respect were called for along with greater
to and also be accountable for using “facts” and providing understanding of decision making processes. All of the
“honest input.” groups mentioned the misunderstandings that follow the
There was not any mention of any problem from unrealized expectation that citizen input always changes
getting too much information or any specifics about a decision. Officials and citizens said they worried about
information gaps. All forms of new information the distrust that comes when citizens conclude that they
technology were suggested as promising tools for more have not been heard when a policy decision is not aligned
sharing of information. with public sentiment. More than one interviewee said
that more communication after a public decision would
increase overall public understanding.
The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment 7

10. Those Engaged
An appointed official said that what is needed is “Willing citizens and open government.” A civic leader was also
succinct about what is needed, “First, a receptive attitude; if that does not exist, don’t bother with the rest.”
Trust
The oft-repeated cure for distrust was more information, more communication and more work together. In other
words, true civic engagement with good information and timely communication.
Training
There were calls for training for civic engagement and also reports of receiving training. A review of the comments
describing training demonstrates a broad interpretation of what is considered public involvement training and, by
extension, what is considered to be public involvement.
What Do You Think is the Most Important Public Issue for the Region?
Three regional issues dominated “the most important public issue” list. They were transportation, regionalism
and the economy- in that order. Of the three most frequently mentioned regional issues, elected officials and other
citizen leaders ranked transportation highest of the three. The economy was the highest ranked of the three top issues
by appointed officials. Regionalism, the second most frequently mentioned regional issue overall, was not ranked as
important by elected officials.
Regional Civic Engagement Report Card
In the same spirit as the maxim “all politics is local,” interviewees gave the highest average regional grade “B” to the
civic engagement efforts of their own groups. Effort more removed, i.e. “civic engagement in regional issues,” received the
lowest grade “D.”
Regional Report Card
Interview Question Grade
B
How would you grade the amount of effort you or your group spends in civic engagement?
C+
How would you grade your community’s overall civic engagement?
C+
How would you grade your local government’s overall civic engagement?
C-
How would you grade private businesses in overall civic engagement?
D
How would you grade overall civic engagement in regional issues?
8 The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment

11. Most Important Hampton Roads Regional Issues
(Interview Question #18)
Transportation
Regionalism
Economy
Education
Infrastructure
Civic Engagement
Competiveness
Quality of Life
Environment
Water
Military Presence
Public Health
Trust
Citizens' Role in the Most Important Hampton Roads
Regional Issues
(Interview Question #19)
Educate themselves
Participate (e.g. attend forums,
online discussions)
Take action (e.g. letters to editor,
email local and regional govt. and
groups)
Create a regional advocacy group
Demand better civic engagement
Lobby elected officials
To view and download the complete Batten Surveys Reports, go to www.hrcce.org
The Batten Surveys: A Regional “Civic Capital” Assessment 9