Five Things About Americans’ Slipping Sense of Duty

Americans are a little less likely to ask what they can do for their country these days.

An Associated Press-GfK poll found that Americans' sense of duty has slipped since a similar survey three decades earlier. Civic virtues such as staying informed or serving on a jury don't seem as important as they once did, with notable declines among younger adults.

The poll repeated questions asked in 1984 about six civic-minded activities, and found only voting and volunteering were embraced about as strongly as three decades ago, when the General Social Survey originally posed those questions.

About 9 out of 10 say that reporting a crime you witness, voting in elections, knowing English and serving on a jury when called are at least "somewhat important" obligations of citizenship.