UGA study finds low civic involvement in Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- A new study says Georgia has one of the nation's lowest levels of civic involvement in activities such as voting and volunteering.

The University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government headed the project with several partner organizations to measure how much the state's citizens participate in their communities.

They came up with a Georgia Civic Health Index that found communities in the state tend to lag below the national average when it comes to voter turnout and attendance at public meetings. Other indicators, such as interactions with neighbors, were about average.

W. Dennis Epps, deputy director of the UGA institute, says he thinks state and local officials will use the results to work toward doing a better job of engaging Georgia citizens.