Commentary March 10, 2025

America’s Parents Are Civic Superheroes

Daniel A. Cox

Institute for Family Studies

Signs of America’s civic malaise are everywhere. In The Atlantic, Derek Thomspon meticulously documented our “self-imposed solitude,” dubbing the current moment “the antisocial century.” With good reason. Fewer Americans are spending time in public spaces, joining clubs, and being active in community organizations. We have become a nation of homebodies. A New York Times analysis of the American Time Use Survey found that since 2003, Americans are spending an extra 1 hour and 39 minutes a day in their house or apartment. The growing time Americans are spending by themselves increased dramatically during the pandemic, but the authors note that the trend predated it.

It’s not simply the rise of online entertainment, such as Netflix, TikTok, and Instagram that has discouraged Americans from venturing out of the house. Americans are spending more time working, exercising, eating and drinking in our kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms. Many of us now celebrate cancelled plans, and grumble about our various social obligations.

However, despite our national civic withdrawal there are reasons for hope. Not all Americans have been as quick to abandon public spaces and communal activities. A recent report from the Survey Center on American Life found that college-educated parents remain very involved in their communities, spending much more time engaged in civic activities than other Americans. The report, Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life, documents a range of activities that college-educated mothers engage in at higher rates than other Americans.

First, half of college-educated mothers (50%) and more than 4 in 10 college-educated fathers (42%) volunteer in their communities at least a few times a year. Additionally, a vast majority (more than 8 in 10) of these same parents said they host people in their home at least a few times a year, compared to only 66% of the general population. More than two-thirds of college-educated parents report attending community events (including high school sporting events or concerts). Parents are consistently more involved in their local community than the average American, shouldering much of our shared responsibility to build and maintain civic life.

Community Contributions

More Americans than ever are living alone and remaining unmarried. A Pew Research Center study found that one-quarter of 40-year-olds have never been married, a record high. The increase in the number of lifelong singles has not necessarily brought about a decline of social connectedness, but it has accompanied America’s ongoing civic slide.

Single Americans may have active social lives and care deeply about their community and the people who live there, but they spend far less time engaged in traditional civic activities, such as volunteering, participating in religious services, and hosting social gatherings.

What’s more, because single people tend to be less rooted in their communities, they pay less attention to what’s going on there. Compared to married parents, single Americans are less likely to read local news or contact local elected officials about problems or concerns. A 2021 survey found that among Americans under the age of 50, mothers of school-aged children were much more likely to follow news about their local community somewhat or very closely than women without children (63% vs 50%, respectively). This gap may become more pronounced as local news outlets disappear and more of our attention is trained towards national news and political debates in Washington D.C.

Becoming a parent does not instantly make someone a more caring or empathetic person. In fact, some research suggests the opposite. But for engaged caregivers, the experience of raising children fundamentally alters the incentives for being community-minded. Parents are incentivized to get to know their neighbors, take care of local parks and playgrounds, and support local schools—and they have shown a tendency to act on these incentives. They take more of an interest in local affairs and participate more regularly in community events and activities.

If a pothole is suddenly filled in on your street, or trash mysterious vanishes from the public park, chances are there was a parent somewhere who helped make it happen. In many ways, large and small, and too often unacknowledged, the continual efforts parents make to improve their communities is something we all benefit from.