Factors of Civic Disengagement - Essay Example

Factors of Civic Disengagement Civic engagement has been a part of the American community ever since. It has developed the kind of socialization which emerged in the different American cultures and influenced how Americans interact in either small groups or broader organizations. However, changes in social structures, economic needs, and order of priorities altered several social obligations. As what Robert Putnam (2000) pointed out, residential mobility, economic hard times, and busyness are prime factors of civic disengagement.

To best suit the fluidity of lifestyle of today’s Americans, “thin, single-stranded. are replacing dense, multi stranded, well-exercised bonds” (Putnam, 2000, p. 184). These bonds are more informal which suit the kind of life they lead. One would say that American civic engagement is slowly declining but this is of course, because of several logical and valid reasons. In the striving economic situation and the frequent rise of price for basic commodities, working individuals are not to blame for disengaging from social activities; however, this is not to approve of it but rather, a more considerate point to address the growing economic needs of the family.

On the other hand, Putnam (2000) contends that however these busy people work for better financial situation, “economic good fortune has not guaranteed continued civic engagement” (p. 194); busyness does not excuse them of disengaging from civic life. Another factor is residential mobility (p. 204). The Americans’ mobility largely depends on economy; where employment opportunity is dense, they would be willing to relocate. This might hurt civic engagement, but the truth remains that civic life is actually a secondary, or one of the last, priorities behind one’s family and personal needs.

Reference Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.