Civic Language in the Rural/Urban Contexts

Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)’s Civic Language Perceptions Project seeks to understand peoples’ perceptions of the language most commonly associated with civic engagement and democracy efforts. Using data from the nationally representative survey of 5,000 registered voters, and with the support of the McKnight Foundation, PACE completed an analysis of language similarities and differences in the urban and rural contexts and compared language trends in the Midwest to other parts of the country. 

In this session, hosted by the McKnight Foundation and Minnesota Council on Foundations, participants will have a chance to explore how voters living in rural and urban contexts perceive civic terms, learn about meaningful differences and areas of alignment, and examine nuances by age, race/ethnicity, and political ideology. A conversation about possible implications and applications of the data for Minnesota will follow the presentation.

Siri Erickson, Program Support Lead, PACE
As PACE’s Program Support Lead, Siri supports learning and experimentation initiatives, including Faith In/And Democracy and the Civic Language Perceptions Project, as well as member communications. She joined the team after working in leadership, learning, and strategy positions in the non-profit, faith, and higher education sectors. Siri most recently held DEI, learning, and religious life roles in higher education and was the founding director of the Gustavus Academy for Faith, Science, and Ethics. She is a graduate of Carleton College (B.A. in Chemistry) and Claremont School of Theology (M.Div., D.Min.). She lives in St. Peter, Minnesota, with her husband and two children.

Tim Murphy, Program Officer, Program Alignment, Vibrant & Equitable Communities, McKnight Foundation
Tim Murphy has served as a program officer at McKnight with both the Program Integration team and the Vibrant & Equitable Communities team since 2021. In this hybrid role, he extends the capacity of McKnight’s program teams, enhancing strategic alignment and organizational effectiveness toward advancing programmatic goals and the Foundation’s mission. He is passionate about centering equity in all operations of the Foundation and brings a continuous improvement mindset to the work. Tim lives in south Minneapolis with his dog, Ole, and is a volunteer board member of Mile in My Shoes, a social action organization that uses the power of running to change perceptions and change lives.