This was presented by Diane Gavarkavich from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Urban Institute at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC 2017) in Florence on 25th April 2017. You can find out more information about the conference here: http://tictec.mysociety.org

1. The interested bystander,
in context
Diane Gavarkavich
University of North Carolina - Charlotte Urban Institute

2. Vocal Opinionators Issues-Aware The Absentees
Belief-Focused Career/School-Focused Balance-Focused
2014
Nationwide
2016-2017
Charlotte
Interested Bystanders

3. Methodology
Preliminary
Survey
N=1488
Mobile
Diary
N=85
Panel
Survey 1
N=370
Interviews
N=41
Panel
Survey 2
N=179
Focus
Groups
N≈48
Panel
Survey 3
To Come
Community
Input
4 events
Collection of Related Social and Traditional Media

4. In Context

5. 1,000,000
+300,000
52%
50/50
Charlotte Snapshot

6. Local Context
Adam Rhew, Charlotte Magazine

7. Segregation

8. State Context

9. National Context

10. Sample

11. Defining Civic

12. Online Behaviours
Reading/
Learning
Watching
Donating
Discussing

13. Discussing Politics
89%
36%
59%
34%
With family or friends in person
With family or friends on social media
With those I don't know in person
With those I don't know on social media
Respondents feel comfortable discussing politics…
January N=370

14. Behaviours
1%
6%
13%
15%
16%
33%
37%
44%
57%
64%
68%
70%
4%
7%
24%
23%
26%
23%
23%
22%
26%
22%
20%
3%
18%
31%
38%
44%
30%
28%
26%
16%
8%
6%
8%
95%
72%
49%
22%
17%
11%
12%
7%
5%
2%
4%
3%
Read/watch/listen to the news
Read to understand community issues
Share information about community/national events
Volunteer for community events
Donate money for an organization and/or cause
Attend presentations about community issues
Sign and/or distribute petitions
Attend neighborhood meetings
Attend city-wide meetings
Contribute money to a political campaign
Volunteer for a political campaign
Participate in protests
Never Once a year/few years Once a month/few months Once every few weeks or more
October N=1470

15. Motivations
22% (N=370) wished they’d done
something differently for their
candidates.
76% of respondents (N=352) were not
at all satisfied with the outcome of
the presidential election

16. Moving Forward

17. Information Sources
52%
47%
41%
38%
23%
15%
Online TV Radio Someone I
know
Newspaper Community
Newspaper
Social media is a major source of information for civic issues and
activities
78% social media
October N=1127

18. Trust
30%
70%
10%
19%
40%
12%
By people they are close with By people not particularly
close with
By news organizations
News Posted Online Not at all or Not too Accurate
Interested Bystanders Other
January N=171

19. Influences
44%
35%
26%
8%
13%
4%
10%
31%
57%
49%
45%
16%
25%
3%
15%
12%
Below Parties were Identified as Moderately or Extremely
Influential
Interested Bystanders Other Respondents
January N=171

20. Landscape
53%
57%
31%
47%
43%
69%
People Generally
Local Community
Local Government
Would you say…
Can be trusted You can’t be too careful
January N=171

21. Community Attachment
12%
56%
27%
5%
Very
Somewhat
Not Very
Not at all
How attached to local community
January N=81

22. Contact: Diane Gavarkavich
d.gavarkavich@uncc.edu
Thank you

23. Reference Slides

24. Research Questions
1. If we look at Interested Bystanders’ engagement in civic life,
democracy, and politics through the lens of their own life
journeys and life goals—and take as a given that people live
meaningful segments of their lives on a set of major technology
platforms—what can we learn about their behaviors toward
and motivations for civic engagement?
2. How are those behaviors / motivations mediated by their
information ecosystems, their social influences, and the local
issue landscape where they live? For each of these contextual
factors, how do digital and non-digital elements surface and
interact?
3. What can we learn about the causal mechanisms that connect
online and offline civic behaviors?

25. Civic Profiles

26. Interested
Bystanders
Belief Focused Career/Education Focused Balance Focused
Career and education a
priority. Spend some time
on civic activities. Spend a
lot of time with family. Do
not believe government
provides useful services.
Pay attention to news and
share opinions but do not
take action. Holds strong
beliefs. Do not engage with
neighbors or neighborhood
activities.
12.1%
Career and education is a high
priority compared to other
groups, but these are balanced
with other obligations. Do not
spend time on civic activities,
due to other obligations and lack
of time. Believe government
means well and provides
effective services. They pay
attention to the news but do not
share opinions about it; feel
strongly about some issues and
not others. Do not engage with
neighbors or neighborhood
activities.
14.2%
Balance career with
other obligations, mainly
family. Spends time on
civic activities. Believe
government means well
but is ineffective. Pays
attention to and shares
news but not likely to
take action. Feels
strongly about some
issues. Rarely engaged
with neighbors or
neighborhood activities.
18.8%

27. Not
Interested
Bystanders
Family/Neighbor
Focused
Neighborhood Focused News Focused
Not working or in school
right now. Spend time on
civic activities. Spend time
with family. Believe in the
government. Pay attention
to news to share and take
action. Feel strongly about
their beliefs. Know their
neighborhoods and are
involved in neighborhood.
12.8%
Balance career and education,
and spends a lot of time with
family. More likely to have
professions that are civic than
other groups. Believes
government provides useful
services. Some action on news
but mostly follows to share
opinions. Feels strongly about
beliefs. Very close to neighbors
and engaged in neighborhood.
11.9%
High priority on career or
education but balanced.
Try to be engaged.
Believes government
provides useful services.
Follows news very closely
and acts on it. Holds
strong beliefs. Not very
attached to local
community.
30.2%