The survey, which interviewed nearly 30,000 people in 29 states, will be used by community groups as a diagnostic tool in their efforts to revitalize community life.

"While previous research measures trends in civic engagement over time, the survey is useful to analyze differences in civic engagement across the country. The survey maps the relative strengths and areas for improvement in communities' civic behavior and sets a baseline against which future progress can be assessed in another survey several years hence," Putnam said. "It represents an extraordinary, enormous trove of data for policymakers, researchers and community builders."

In addition to taking part in the survey, the participating community organizations have committed to undertake civic revitalization projects to address the deficiencies revealed by the survey.

A report from the Saguaro Seminar, the KSG initiative which designed the survey, was released Dec. 19 of last year as a resource and guide to help community organizations with community-building strategies.

The Saguaro Seminar, launched by Putnam, consists of 33 academics, community leaders and activists. Putnam, the author of Bowling Alone: Collapse and Revival of the American Community, also serves as the project's principal investigator.

--Staff writer Ross A. Macdonald can be reached at jrmacdon@fas.harvard.edu