Poll: Public service valued; politics — not so much

Susan Page | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Susan Page on the USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center poll A new USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center poll finds that Americans by more than 2-1 believe the best way to make positive changes in society is through volunteer organizations and charities, not by being active in government.

A poll finds Americans turning to charities to make a change in society

Views of politics and government grow increasingly skeptical

But most suspicious are also most likely to consider running for office

WASHINGTON — The American impulse to make a contribution to the community is strong, but the feeling that politics can be an avenue to do that seems to be souring.

A new USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center poll finds that Americans by more than 2-1 say the best way to make positive changes in society is through volunteer organizations and charities, not by being active in government. Those younger than 30 are particularly put off by politics. They are significantly less likely than their parents to say participating in politics is an important value in their lives.

Consider Cole Ledford.

The Ohio State University sophomore was thrilled last year to get an internship working at the Ohio Legislature, but he didn't learn the lesson he expected. The experience convinced him he didn't want a career in government or politics.

"I thought I wanted to be one of them," the 19-year-old from Lebanon, Ohio, says. "But it was more that politics was a game they wanted to play, and it wasn't about the constituents." He's switched his major from political science to non-profit management, and he hopes to "give back and influence the world" by working for a charitable group, perhaps one that helps people with special needs.

"There's a skepticism of government," says Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., who at age 32 is the second-youngest current member of Congress. "Young people say, if I want to feed the hungry or make a difference for cancer patients, it's easier to do that through a non-profit and see the tangible results up close than, say, trying to push for federal funding to do the same."

Analysts warn of a dangerous downward cycle: Perceptions of government as dysfunctional and politics as corrupt keep getting worse. That convinces some of the nation's ablest people, especially those just starting out, that they don't want to run for office or work for the government at any level. As a result, government and politics are likely to work even less well — presumably prompting perceptions to fall further.

It's hard to imagine assessments of Washington getting much worse. Only one in five of those surveyed say they trust the federal government to do what is right most of the time. There is a close split, 42%-38%, on whether they see the government as an advocate or an adversary for them and their families. (The partisan divide: Republicans and independents view the federal government as an adversary while Democrats see it as an advocate.)

"These two worlds of civic life and of public life used to be almost the same world, but these worlds have clearly separated," says Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University. Among the students he teaches, he sees "a general sense that politics is for losers, for ne'er-do-wells, for the corrupt and for the under-motivated and greedy."

That's true even though Obama generated an unprecedented level of support and engagement among young people in the 2008 campaign. "When (John) Kennedy or (Lyndon) Johnson or (Franklin) Roosevelt went to Washington with a lot of youth support, a lot of those people thought, 'I'll go to Washington to work in a political job or the civil service,'" says Peter Levine, a professor of citizenship and public affairs at Tufts University. Not this time. "The closest they would get is working for Teach for America."

Dan Glickman remembers how he felt he had won "a glory job" when he was elected in 1976 for the first of nine terms in the House of Representatives. Now, he says, "I think that a lot of people see politics as not an honorable profession anymore."

The Kansas Democrat co-chairs the Commission on Political Reform for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think-tank. The BPC and USA TODAY are partners in a year-long project examining polarization and other challenges facing politics in the United States.

A town hall forum exploring changing attitudes toward public service is set for Tuesday at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, near the site where the nation's founders debated and devised the American political system.

'I MADE A CHANGE'

Bess Dopkeen sees the rewards of working for the government as powerful.

After she graduated from Tufts with a bachelor of arts degree in 2004, she moved to Washington on a fellowship for what she thought would be a career with a non-profit organization that focused on international development. To her surprise, she ended up being hired by a defense contractor and, three years later, by the Pentagon.

"Every day I get to do analysis and put it in front of decision-makers and help them make the right decision on really important stuff," Dopkeen, 31, says. "At the end of every day, or at least at the end of every week, I feel I made a change."

When it comes to careers, those surveyed are most interested in owning their own business, for many part of the American dream: 46% say they would be extremely or very interested in that. Slightly more than a third embrace the idea of working for a small business or a non-profit group. Only one in five express strong interest in working for the government or a large corporation, or serving in the military.

At the bottom is being an elected official or working for one, drawing a lot of interest from about one in 10.

The nationwide poll of 1,071 adults was taken by landline and cellphone June 24-27 by Republican pollster Whit Ayres and Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. The margin of error is +/–5 percentage points.

There is, perhaps, a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty aspect to the finding that 14% of those surveyed seriously have thought about running for public office. That means the overwhelming majority of Americans haven't. On the other hand, Ayres and Mellman note, it also means roughly 40 million people have.

That huge pool of potential candidates has particular demographic characteristics. It includes:

•25% of those who earn at least $100,000 a year, but just 10% of those who earn less than $50,000.

•22% of men, but just 8% of women.

•22% of college graduates, but just 9% of those who don't have a college degree.

•17% of whites, but just 8% of African Americans.

Why do so few actually run?

In response to an open-ended question, the top reason cited by those 30 and older is that they decided running for office would be too time-consuming. The top reason among those younger than 30 is that politics is vicious and nasty.

Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, says when he tries to persuade newcomers to run for Congress they nearly always express concern about the need to raise money, the impact on their family life, and what entering a combative political world fueled by social media is likely to do to their reputation.

"Every word matters now," he warns them. "What you say in your district 2,000 miles away is 144 characters and the speed of light away from every one of us. It's called Twitter."

Perhaps surprisingly, people with the dimmest view of the government are the most likely to have considered running for office. Those who say they never trust the government to do what is right are almost twice as likely to have thought about running than those who trust the government most or almost all of the time.

That's consistent with what New York Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says he finds in seeking candidates. "The reputation for Congress is at a historic low," he says. "This doesn't make it harder for us to recruit; it actually makes it easier for us to recruit. ... It motivates them to run to change things."

THE 'SOMEONE ELSE' FACTOR

Americans overwhelmingly endorse some policies designed to encourage public service or community service, the poll found. Three of four support the idea of providing a stipend or educational benefits to people who volunteer. Two-thirds back incentives for employers to allow workers to take sabbaticals to work in public service or community service jobs.

And nearly six in 10 like the idea of requiring every American ages 18 to 25 to serve one year in the military, the Peace Corps or a community service organization such as Habitat for Humanity. The only age group that didn't support that idea was the one that actually would be affected. People 50 and older support mandatory service by more than 2-1, but those under 30 narrowly oppose the idea, 50%-48%.

Ayres and Mellman liken the poll findings on public service to those on public transit, "with many citizens thinking it is an excellent idea for someone else to do."

Those involved say encouraging public service is likely to depend less on mandates and more on demonstrating that government can address the nation's big problems — especially for younger Americans who have grown up watching a system that often seems paralyzed.

Kelsey Gallagher, 21, has a bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio State University but decided to go back this fall for a master's in the Public Administration program. "Working at a non-profit or doing community service, you get more of a firsthand experience," she says. "You get to see the direct effects."

Gaby Pacheco, 28, is taking a different route. She's become a fixture on Capitol Hill, lobbying for changes on behalf of young immigrants like herself who were brought to the USA illegally as children — an issue only government ultimately can solve. "Being involved, it's not for the faint of heart," she acknowledges. "But at least you know that you are trying."