This spring, the Partnership for Public Service asked members of the public about their priorities for building a better government.
As a part of that effort, we wanted to understand how Americans engage with their government, both directly and indirectly. We found that people report taking action to change or improve the federal government in numerous ways—by voting, signing petitions, engaging with community organizations, sharing information on social media and more.
However, how people say they take action varies widely by age, gender and income. Understanding these differences provides insight into how to best engage members of the public in government reform efforts, a core priority of the Partnership’s Government for a New Era initiative.
This data comes from an online opt-in survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 13-16, 2026 using a panel maintained by Prodege. While it is not a random, nationally representative sample, the Partnership used quota sampling techniques to resemble the demographic makeup of the U.S.
For the following analysis, we looked at respondents who reported taking an action annually, a few times a year, monthly or weekly.
For many activities, there are few differences across age groups—with an exception for adults 65 and older
When considering American adults under 65, each age group reports taking many actions to change or improve government at similar rates— for example, by donating to a charity or a political campaign, by talking with family or friends or by contacting elected officials.
However, Americans ages 65 and older are the least likely of all age groups to say they have taken seven out of the 10 actions we asked about. Only 10% report attending a protest at least annually, compared with almost half of those ages 18-24, about a quarter of those 25-34 and 40% of those who are 35-44.
Similarly, only about a third of Americans 65 and over say that they post on social media, compared with over half of those ages 45-64 and almost three-quarters of those ages 18-44.
Lower-income Americans report taking action at lower rates than those with higher incomes
Income also factors in to how often Americans take action to change or improve government. For example, respondents with a household income of $25,000 or less report taking action at lower rates than those with higher household incomes.
These differences were apparent for actions that may be more accessible for people with greater financial resources, such as donating to a charity or political campaign. But they also appear in actions that do not require money but require a time commitment, such as engaging with community organizations or attending public forums.
Men are likelier than women to report taking action to change or improve the federal government
Across all 10 options provided, women are less likely than men to say they take action at least once a year.
Although women report talking with family and friends and signing petitions at only slightly lower rates than men, larger disparities exist for posting on social media, donating to charities or political campaigns, making public comments on proposed rules or regulations, and contacting elected officials.
Implications for the federal government
A healthy democracy depends on people having meaningful opportunities to engage with their government, whether through formal action, such as supporting organizations or causes, or through more informal participation in broader conversations about how government should improve.
These findings show that participation, both in type and frequency, may vary across age, gender and income. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for encouraging civic participation—different approaches should be used to help ensure all Americans have an opportunity to shape their government in a way that works best for them.
When people have both the opportunity to participate and confidence that their voices matter, they are more likely to seek an active role in ensuring that the government works effectively and serves their interests. This helps strengthen the connection between the federal government and the people it serves, a relationship that is paramount to accountability, responsiveness and trust in government.