The Importance of Civic Participation in Business

Civics, defined as the study of the rights, responsibilities, and duties of citizens and the workings of government and society, suffers from an alarming knowledge gap. An estimated 70% of Americans can’t pass a basic civics literacy quiz. 

At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2024 Business Solves conference, Damon Young, chief business officer at Kansas Leadership Center, led a special conference edition of the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s National Civics Bee® quiz for those in attendance. Following the quiz, Hilary Crow, vice president of the U.S. Chamber Foundation, led a discussion with business leaders from Microsoft, Travelers, and :hire, who shared insights into the role of civic responsibility in their organizations. 

The Civic Health of America Matters to Business 

Dave Leichtman, director of corporate civic responsibility at Microsoft, highlighted the essential connection between democracy and business.  

“The civic health of the country matters to business because democracy is good for business,” he said. “We talk about that a lot on stages like this, but I think it's important to understand that the underpinnings of the capitalist system require a functioning democracy with rule of law and known regulation.” 

According to panelist Larry Kidd, CEO of :hire, civic involvement is at an all-time low. 

“We're seeing political division, low voter turnout, and people just don't have confidence in their institutions, and this really affects businesses,” Kidd explained. “We're [also] seeing schools no longer teaching civics in the classroom. This has resulted in students, and later, people working in the business community [who] don't know how to collaborate, communicate, or compromise.” 

“That's essentially the core of the civics training, and we need to get back to it,” Kidd added. 

Fostering Civic Engagement Starts With Empowered Employees 

At Travelers, Janice Brunner, group general counsel and head of civic engagement, explained the three pillars her organization focuses on: learning, engaging, and leading. 

Travelers' multi-faceted approach leverages nonpartisan tools and resources to educate their employees about the democracy of the United States. Then, the organization finds ways for their employees to contribute to the communities they live in. This creates a funnel that ultimately trickles down to creating civic leaders. 

“What we've found is, it really just takes a spark,” Brunner said. “By supporting employees who are doing this and actually spotlighting them through awards and through video spotlights … other people become inspired and think, ‘I never even thought about that, but I can do that, too.’”