Can National Service Programs Imp

Community Well-Being?

Kristopher Velasco, Pamela Paxton, Robert Ressler, 

Inbar Weiss, Lilla Pivnick
The Issue: What We Know

• Do national service programs have an impact? 

• Evidence that AmeriCorps members help nonprofits on the organi

through service provision

• For example, serving children through food programs, rehabilitating public 

operating reading camps for children (U.S. GAO 1997). 

• Evidence that AmeriCorps members benefit themselves over the life 

result of their service

• Increased levels of civic engagement such as voting and volunteerism (Finl

Wray-Lake 2011). 
The Issue: The Unanswered Question

• But do national service programs have an impact beyond the ind

organization and also affect the community?

• 1993 legislation states:

“It is the purpose of this act to...renew the ethic of civic responsibility and the spirit of community...[provide] stru

service opportunities with visible benefits to the participa

community...provide tangible benefits to the communi

which national service is performed,” (NACSTA 1993). 

• Our research: do national service programs improve community 
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• First, how do we define community?• Community = County• Justification:

• Effect of a national service program may not be limited to a specif

neighborhood

• Individuals may travel across a zip code or city to receive services from an 

• Need level that is comparable across diverse communities, includin

• Data availability
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• Second, how do we measure “national service”? • Presence of AmeriCorps programs

• Overall• AmeriCorps State• AmeriCorps National• AmeriCorps VISTA• AmeriCorps “Other” (Promise Fellows, Tribal, etc.)

• Auxiliary analyses considered: number of programs and num

members
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• Third, how do we define community well-being?• Subjective Well-Being

• Increasing interest

• Example: Healthy People 2020, Gross Domestic Happiness

• Typically measured via surveys
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• How do we measure subjective well-being?• Data source: Twitter

• Novel measure• Can capture multiple dimensions of subjective well-being

• 1) Engagement; 2) Disengagement; 3) Positive Relations; 4) Negative Relati

Emotions; 6) Negative Emotions

• Captures “ambient geospatial information” (Stefanidis, Crooks, an

2011)

• Example:

• Disengagement Words/Total Words Tweeted
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

Six Dimensions of Subjective Well-Being• Today, we focus on two: engagement and disengagement

Engagement Disengagement

Learning Meh

Interesting Tired

Alive Bored

Alert Blah

Involved Sleepy

Creative Exhausted
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• How do we connect these? (AmeriCorps with Subjective Well-Being)• Linear regression

• Shows association• Allows for broad overview• Can perform several

• Results? Significant effects!

AmeriCorps Subjective Well-Being
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• What could be wrong about these results?1. Counties with AmeriCorps programs may be different tha

do not receive such programs

2. Counties with greater levels of subjective well-being can b

AmeriCorps
Research Design: How Can We Answer the 

• Addressing these concerns:1. Control variables: income, racial/ethnic diversity, education 

rurality, age, state fixed effects. 

2. Add in a second wave of data: Wave 1: 2006-2009; Wave 2

• Intervention/Treatment • Consider reverse effects

AmeriCorps1 AmeriCorps

2

Subjective Well-Being

1

Subjective Well-Being

2
Results

Engagement Disengagement

Overall 

Programs + -

AmeriCorps

National

-

AmeriCorps 

State

-

AmeriCorps

VISTA + -

AmeriCorps 

Other

-

• Note: small effec
Results

AmeriCorps1

Subjective Well Being2

Subjective Well-Being1

AmeriCorps2
Takeaways

“It is the purpose of this act to...renew the ethic of civresponsibility and the spirit of community...[provide] 

service opportunities with visible benefits to the parti

community...provide tangible benefits to the comm

which national service is performed,” (NACSTA 1993). 

• AmeriCorps programs help improve community subjective w• Largely through the buffering against negative aspects

• AmeriCorps is fulfilling its stated goals, should be funded
Takeaways

• Differential effects across AmeriCorps programs. Why?• Results hold up to various threats against inference• The reverse effects suggests that when considering applicatio

particular attention to “quiet” or atypical communities
Next Steps

•Questions from you?•Questions for you.
Audience Questions

1. If you have an AmeriCorps State/National and an AmeriCorps VIST

there differences in how you use them?

2. How do your organizations utilize social media? Do you have AmeriC

increase engagement with social media as part of their service to your 

3. Do you think the observed effect is because of AmeriCorps member

the work nonprofits are already doing?

4. What is the benefit of receiving an AmeriCorps member?5. If you were to lose your AmeriCorps program, how would your activ
Contact Us:

• nonprofitproject@prc.utexas.edu
Top Words for Each Dimension

Positive Relations

Friends

Negative Relations

Hate

Together

Home

Alone

Jealous

Team Blame

Kind

Welcome

Lonely

Rude

Engagement Disengagement

Learning Meh

Interesting Tired

Alive Bored

Alert Blah

Involved Sleepy

Creative Exhausted

Positive Em

Great 

Happy 

Awesom

Amazin

Enjoy 

Laughin