American civic engagement rose for two-thirds of the century then sharply reversed.

Evidence

The dominant theme is simple: For the first two-thirds of the twentieth century a powerful tide bore Americans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities, but a few decades ago—silently, without warning—that tide reversed and we were overtaken by a treacherous rip current. Without at first noticing, we have been pulled apart from one another and from our communities over the last third of the century. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 68

Categorization

• XREF: This is the book’s signature thesis; connects to Putnam’s whole social-capital framework across sociology and political science. — connects to: Civic organizations across America faded dramatically in the late twentieth century. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 22; American civic engagement has cycled between collapse and renewal, not declined steadily. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 60; Civic membership declines even as public agitation intensifies in America. — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization…, 22 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Civic membership declines even as public agitation intensifies in America. #qualifies (0.85) — Anton Jäger, Hyperpolitics, 22
• Generational succession explains roughly half of America’s civic decline since the 1970s #expands (0.82) — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 981
• Rising TV viewing correlates with a large decline in civic participation #corroborates (0.78) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 448