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Bridging Differences through

AmeriCorps Service: AmeriCorps 

Member Exit Survey Analysis 

2016-2020

Office of Research and Evaluation

September 2022
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Produced and published at taxpayer expense. 

Authors

Shane Dermanjian, MS, Research Analyst – Office of Research and Evaluation 

Rose Johnson, MS, Research Assistant - Office of Research and Evaluation

Acknowledgements

We thank all AmeriCorps members for participating in AmeriCorps service and for 

taking the Member Exit Survey at the end of their service terms. Thank you to the 

AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation for their technical expertise and 

editing and thank you to the offices of AmeriCorps programs for their support of this 

work: AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps VISTA. 

Citation

Dermanjian, S., Johnson, R. (2022). Bridging Differences through AmeriCorps 

Service: AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey Analysis 2016-2020. Washington, DC: 

AmeriCorps. 
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Produced and published at taxpayer expense. 

Contents

Introduction and Background ......................................................................................... 2

Bridging Differences ......................................................................................................... 3 

Bridging Differences Questions in the MES ..................................................................... 4 

Demographic Disaggregation ........................................................................................ 5 

Key Takeaways................................................................................................................. 5 

Exploring Differences Between Coworkers and/or Friends from Different Cultures....... 8

Interacting with People from Different Cultures and Backgrounds...............................12

Respecting the Values of People from Different Cultures and Backgrounds.................16

Confidence in Interacting with People from Different Cultures and Backgrounds........20

Bridging Differences According to Teamwork ..............................................................24

Conclusions and Considerations ...................................................................................29

Appendix: Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, Year, and Program......30
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Introduction and Background

AmeriCorps’ mission is to “improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic 

engagement through service and volunteering”.1

1 AmeriCorps. “About.” https://americorps.gov/about. 

 In addition to AmeriCorps’s efforts 

to improve communities and the lives of individuals served, AmeriCorps values the 

development of its service members and volunteers into empowered and engaged 

citizens. To that end, AmeriCorps’ Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) designed 

the AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey (MES) to capture members’ service experience 

and attitudes upon their exit from the program.2

2 For questions on this data, analysis, and report please contact the AmeriCorps Office of Research and 

Evaluation (ORE) at Evaluation@cns.gov. 

The MES examines members’ 

experience across the three AmeriCorps programs: AmeriCorps State and National , 

AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC.3

3 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers are not represented in the MES; a forthcoming feasibility study to 

initiate a new participant survey inclusive of both AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers is currently in production.

 Since 2015, nearly 300,000 AmeriCorps 

members have responded to this survey. From 2016 through 2020, 75% to 80% of 

members completed the MES each year.

MES data is collected on a rolling basis and is compiled by fiscal year. Members are 

categorized into their respective fiscal years according to the date of when they 

finished their service term or departed their program early. Whenever the member 

departs service, they are given the MES to complete. Although members may begin 

their AmeriCorps service before turning 18 years of age, responses used in this 

report are comprised of those who had started their term of service while 18 years of 

age or older.

Key components of the AmeriCorps service experience are mapped to “pathways” 

meant to articulate the AmeriCorps member theory of change.4

4 AmeriCorps. “AmeriCorps Member Theory of Change”. 2015.

Questions featured in 

the MES broadly fall into these four “pathways” and into an additional five “domains”:
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• Pathways:

o Civic Engagement

o Bridging Differences 

o “Getting Things Done”

o Life and Career Skills 

• Domains:

o Describing Member Experience

o Satisfaction with Experience 

o Motivation to Join

o Post-service Plans 

o Training 

This report provides an exploratory overview of the connections between 

AmeriCorps members’ service and the Bridging Differences pathway using 

responses to the MES by members across all three programs (AmeriCorps State and 

National/VISTA/NCCC) who ended their terms between the start of fiscal year 2016 to 

the end of fiscal year 2020 (October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2020). 

This report provides an overview of the connections between AmeriCorps members’ 

service and their aptitude for bridging cultural differences by analyzing their 

responses to the MES.

Bridging Differences

Viewed as a key strategy in building stronger and more engaged communities, 

AmeriCorps service provides an outlet for citizens to be agents of positive change, 

dedicating themselves to solving community issues and advocating for marginalized 

groups with the support of local stakeholders. For AmeriCorps members, having 

cultural competency is the ability to work with and within communities of people 

different from themselves. Practicing cultural competency is one of many ways in 

which AmeriCorps members bridge differences and unite Americans across the 

country through their service. 

When, in the course of their service placement, AmeriCorps members interact with 

populations such as the unhoused, impoverished, incarcerated, or socially 

marginalized, they learn how to work productively with these different groups to 

produce meaningful outcomes for all. Members also learn to work productively with 

community members and other AmeriCorps members from different cultural, 

socioeconomic, or ethnic backgrounds. In other words, AmeriCorps members bridge 

differences as they serve individuals different from themselves and as they serve 

alongside co-members from differing backgrounds. 
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Contact Hypothesis, a longstanding psychological theory, contributes to the 

explanation of how AmeriCorps members develop or enhance their ability to 

successfully serve in diverse groups.5

5 Allport, Gordon Willard, Kenneth Clark, and Thomas Pettigrew. "The nature of prejudice." (1954).

Brown, Rupert, and Miles Hewstone. “An integrative theory of intergroup contact.” (2005). 

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(05)37005-5. 

The Contact Hypothesis holds that during 

interpersonal contact between majority and minority groups, given that certain 

conditions are met, members can effectively overcome prejudices, biases, and 

preconceived notions of the minority group. 

Bridging Differences Questions in the MES

The Bridging Differences pathway is represented in the MES by just Question 7 with 

four corresponding sub-questions (7a through 7d): 

Question 7) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements:

• 7a) I enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from 

different cultures or background and me.

• 7b) I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

• 7c) I respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds.

• 7d) I feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and 

backgrounds.

Each of the four sub-question’s available responses include:

• Strongly agree

• Agree

• Neither agree nor disagree

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree

Graphs featured in this report demonstrate the changes (or lack thereof) seen in the 

proportions of members that answered with the two most affirmative selections of 

each question’s available response options (“Strongly agree” and “Agree”) over time. 

For example, the graphs for Question 7a display the percentage of members that 

responded with “Strongly agree”” or “Agree”, providing the percentage of individuals 

overall who responded that they agree with the question’s text.
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Demographic Disaggregation 

AmeriCorps collects programmatic information and demographic data from its 

members. Data and graphs in this report are therefore disaggregated by eight 

different demographic and programmatic indicators, including: 

1. By Program

o AmeriCorps State and National, NCCC, VISTA 

2. By Age Group

o 18-24, 25-44, 45-64, 65+ 

3. By Gender

o Male, Female, No Answer

4. By Ethnicity

o Hispanic or Latino, Not Hispanic or Latino, No Response

5. By Race

o Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Asian 

American, Multiracial, Null, Other Race, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific 

Islander, White 

6. By Focus Area

o Education, Healthy Futures, Disaster Response, Veterans & Military Families, 

Environmental Stewardship, Economic Opportunity, Not sure/does not 

apply

7. By Education Level

o Associates Degree, College Graduate, Graduate Degree (e.g. MA, PhD, 

MD, JD), High School Diploma/GED, Less than High School, Some College, 

Technical School / Apprenticeship / Vocational, Unknown 

8. By Teamwork

o Worked on a team, Did not work on a team

By disaggregating responses to the MES by a variety of demographic indicators, this 

analysis detects which factors are correlated with the largest variations in the data. 

Variables listed above were selected based on the most readily available 

demographic data collected of all members and together serve as an exploratory 

examination of MES data. More detail explaining the usage of Teamwork as an 

indicator is featured in the section titled Bridging Differences According to Teamwork.

Graphs shown later in the report are titled by number of question, and then by the 

corresponding number associated with the demographic indicator above. For 

example, the graph looking at Question 7c disaggregated by Race is titled “7c.5”. 

Key Takeaways

Although there are minor variations across all years and demographics, the 

proportion of all members reporting an aptitude for cultural competency is quite 
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high, regularly including 90% or more members across all years and 

demographic/programmatic categories. 

Overall, AmeriCorps members display quite high levels of enjoying, respecting, and 

feeling confident when interacting with other cultures regardless of how the data is 

disaggregated – either by program, demographics, or if a members had served on a 

team (i.e., teamwork). 

Key Findings Listed by indicator: 

• Program

o Across all years, VISTA reported slightly higher percentages of members 

responding affirmatively to the four questions than Americorps State 

and National or NCCC members. That said, no program in any year ever 

saw less than 89% members responding affirmatively to all questions.

• Age

o The proportion of 18- to 24-year-old members that reported enjoying, 

respecting, and interacting with other cultures is higher than all other 

age groups. Members aged 65 and up reported the highest proportion 

of members who respect the values of people from different cultures 

and backgrounds, however. 

• Gender

o Female AmeriCorps members and members who did not identify their 

gender consistently exhibited higher proportions of members 

displaying cultural competency than male AmeriCorps members across 

all years and questions. The lowest reported percentage of members 

was still very high, with 90% of males reporting that they enjoyed 

exploring other cultures.

• Race

o Across all years and questions, Asian or Asian-American members 

reported the highest percentage of members who enjoyed exploring 

differences, as well as enjoying interactions with and respecting the 

values of people from different cultures and backgrounds. White 

AmeriCorps members reported slightly less confidence in interacting 

with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Regardless of 

these differences, when disaggregating by race, all members report 

very high levels of cultural competency.
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• Ethnicity

o Hispanic or Latino members reported slightly higher proportions of 

cultural competency than non-Hispanic or Latino members across all 

four categories. That said, even after disaggregating by ethnicity, all 

groups overwhelmingly responded in agreement to all four questions.

• Education Level

o Across all years and questions, AmeriCorps members with at least a 

high school degree or higher reported greater levels of cultural 

competency as compared to members with either less than a high 

school degree or a technical degree. Members with less than a high 

school degree or a technical degree were the only groups that had 

reported less than 90% in agreeing that they enjoyed exploring other 

cultures and felt confident in interacting with people from different 

backgrounds.

• Focus Area

o Although disaggregating by focus areas showed all members reporting 

fairly high levels of cultural competency, members in the Healthy 

Futures focus area reported slightly larger percentages than other focus 

areas across all questions and years. Members who did not know their 

focus area or felt a focus area did not apply to their service consistently 

reported the lowest levels of cultural competency across all questions. 

• Teamwork

o Teamwork is by far the greatest correlate to any differences seen in 

members’ levels of cultural competency. The percentage of members 

displaying cultural competency was always higher for members who 

identify as working on a team during their AmeriCorps service as 

compared to members who claimed to work alone. Non-team 

AmeriCorps members reported enjoying exploring other cultures 10 – 

14% less than those who worked on teams and were 8 – 10% less 

confident in interacting with other cultures than those who had served 

on teams.
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Exploring Differences Between Coworkers and/or Friends 

from Different Cultures

Question 7a) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from 

different cultures or background from me

Program: Over 88% of 

AmeriCorps members in each 

stream of service enjoy 

exploring differences between 

their co-workers and friends 

from different cultures and 

backgrounds. This high level of 

enjoying other differences

remained mostly consistent from 

2016 to 2020. Americorps state 

and national and VISTA 

members steadily topped NCCC 

members in this area.

Age: For all observed years, 

members between the ages of 

18 to 44 reported enjoying 

exploring the cultures and 

backgrounds of friends and coworkers most out of all other 

age groups. The percentage of 

members enjoying exploring 

differences is inversely related to 

age: as members get older a 

smaller (although still fairly 

large) proportion of members 

enjoy exploring differences 

between their coworkers and/or 

friends from different cultures. 
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Gender: From 2016 to 2020, 

female members consistently 

reported enjoying exploring 

differences between the 

backgrounds and cultures of 

their coworkers more than male 

members, although this 

proportion remains fairly high 

(90% or greater) for all 

populations for all years. To 

note, participants are given two 

options to respond for gender:

Male or Female; data may 

exclude non-gender conforming 

AmeriCorps members. 

Nonetheless, members who did 

not report their gender 

consistently reported higher 

percentages in enjoying 

exploring differences than men. 

Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino 

AmeriCorps members 

expressed slightly more 

enthusiasm in exploring 

differences between the 

backgrounds of coworkers and 

friends than those members 

reporting as not Hispanic or 

Latino or members who did not 

respond to their ethnicity at all. 

Proportions for all groups have 

remained fairly steady, although 

in 2020 all groups displayed an 

increase in the proportion of 

those expressing they enjoy 

exploring other cultures. 
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Race: Asian or Asian American 

members from 2016 to 2020 

reported the highest percentage 

of members who enjoyed

exploring differences between 

coworkers of different 

backgrounds. In 2017, American 

Indian or Alaska Native 

members displayed the lowest 

proportion, but even so still 

remained above 90%. All groups 

reported very high proportions 

of members that enjoy exploring 

differences.

Focus Area: The Healthy 

Futures focus area followed by 

the Economic Opportunity focus 

area displayed the highest 

percentage of members who 

enjoy interacting with people of 

different cultures and 

backgrounds. Members unsure 

of their service’s focus area 

consistently reported the lowest 

proportion of members that 

enjoyed exploring differences, 

whereas all other focus areas 

experienced over 90% of its 

members answering this 

question affirmatively across all 

years. 
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Education Level: 

Members who 

reported having a 

college degree or 

some college 

education were most 

likely to enjoy 

exploring differences 

between the 

backgrounds and 

cultures of their 

coworkers and friends. 

This is followed by 

members with 

associates degrees, 

graduate degrees, and 

high school graduates. 

Members reporting 

technical school/

apprenticeship/vocatio

nal school as their 

highest educational 

attainment consistently 

reported the lowest 

proportion of members 

who enjoy exploring 

differences in cultures 

and differences.
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Interacting with People from Different Cultures and 

Backgrounds

Question 7b) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds

Program: From 2016 to 2020, over 

92% of members in all service 

streams reported enjoying

interacting with people from 

different cultures and backgrounds. 

For all years, VISTA members led all 

service streams in its favorable 

responses to this question, with 

96.5 to over 97% of members each 

year. The proportion of NCCC 

members reporting that they enjoy 

interacting with people from 

different cultures fell slightly below 

Americorps State and National and 

VISTA each year, but still remained 

quite high.

Age: The age groups of 18 to 24 

and 25 to 44 reported the 

highest percentage of members 

that enjoyed interacting with 

people of different cultures and 

backgrounds. Across all years 

and age groups, this proportion 

of members that report they 

enjoy interacting with people 

different from themselves 

remained consistently high, 

ranging between 94 and 97%. 
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Gender: Female members

consistently reported enjoying 

interacting with people from 

different cultures around 3 

percentage points higher in than 

male members. At least 96% of 

females and members who did 

not specify a gender stated they 

enjoyed interacting with people 

of different cultures and 

backgrounds for all years. 

Comparatively, between 93 and 

94% of male members reported 

enjoying interacting with people 

from other cultures for all years. 

Ethnicity: Each year, Hispanic or 

Latino Members reported 

around one percent point

higher than non-Hispanic or 

Latino members in enjoying 

interacting with people of 

different cultures and 

backgrounds. This difference 

remained relatively steady from 

2016 to 2020, with the 

proportion of members not 

identifying their ethnicity only 

slightly increasing or decreasing 

between 2016 and 2020. 
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Race: All racial groups for all 

years reported consistently high 

proportions of members that 

enjoy interacting with people of 

different cultures and 

backgrounds. Between 96 and 

97% of Asian or Asian American 

members reported enjoying 

interacting with people of 

different backgrounds and 

cultures, the highest among all

groups. The proportion of 

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific 

Islander members that reported 

enjoying interacting with other 

cultures fluctuated between 94 

to 97% during 2016 to 2020. 

Focus Area: While members in 

all AmeriCorps focus areas 

reported high levels of enjoying 

interacting with people of 

different cultures and 

backgrounds each year, 

members serving in the Healthy 

Futures focus area remained the 

highest percentage from 2016 

to 2020. AmeriCorps members 

who were unsure of their 

service’s focus area reported the 

lowest relative percentage for all 

years, although were still over 

91% for all years. 
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Education: Across all 

years, approximately 

96% of members with a 

High School 

Diploma/GED, 

Associates Degree, 

College or Some 

College, or a Graduate 

degree reported that 

they enjoy interacting 

with people of different 

backgrounds and 

cultures. These 

proportions have 

remained fairly 

constant from 2016 to 

2020. Between 89 to 

94% of members with 

either less than a high 

school education or a 

technical degrees 

expressed enjoying

interacting with people 

of different cultures 

and backgrounds – 2 to 

7 percentage points 

lower than the other 

educational groups.
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Respecting the Values of People from Different Cultures and 

Backgrounds

Question 7c) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

Program: Across all years,

VISTA members reported the 

highest proportion of members 

who feel they respect the values 

of people from different cultures 

and backgrounds. Americorps 

State and National and NCCC 

members still report high levels 

of respecting others’ values, with 

the lowest proportion in any 

program during any year still 

being almost 94.5%. 

Age: Except in 2020, the highest 

proportion of members who 

state they respect the values of 

people from different cultures 

and backgrounds were aged 65 

and over. In 2017 there was a 

noticeable decline in 

percentage points across all age 

groups (a decrease of 

approximately 5 percentage 

points), but by 2018 these 

percentages increased back to 

levels previously shown in 2016 . 

The proportion of members 

reporting they respect others’ 

values remained as high through 

2020. 
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Gender: 98% of female 

members from 2016 to 2020 

reported respecting people 

from different cultures and 

backgrounds. Members who did 

not identify their gender 

followed, and actually reported 

the highest proportion of 

members across all years in 

2018 with 98.5% of members 

respecting values of others. 

Although still a large 

percentage, the lowest 

proportion of members that 

reported respecting values of 

people from different cultures 

and backgrounds was male 

members in 2017 at 94.8%. 

Ethnicity: A marginally higher 

percentage of Hispanic and 

Latino AmeriCorps members 

reported respecting the values 

of people from different cultures 

and backgrounds than did nonHispanic or Latino members or 

members that did not specify 

their ethnicity. Even 

disaggregated by ethnicity, the 

lowest proportion of members is 

96.4% of members that did not 

identify their ethnicity. 
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Race: Every year except for 

American Indian or Alaska 

Native members in 2018, the 

highest percentage of members 

reporting they respect the 

values of people from different 

cultures and backgrounds were 

Asian or Asian American 

members. The percentage of 

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific 

Islander members reporting 

respecting others’ values 

notably dropped from 97 to 

95% in 2018, but then increased 

the following year. Over 95% of 

members across all races 

reported respecting others’ 

values.

Focus Area: Members serving in 

the Healthy Futures focus 

reported the highest percentage 

of members who respect the 

values of people from different 

cultures and backgrounds at 

98% of members. The lowest 

percentage (between 93 and 

95% from 2016 to 2020) of 

members that reported 

respecting others’ values were 

those that did not identify the 

focus area of their AmeriCorps 

service. 
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Education Level:

Between 91 to 95% of 

AmeriCorps members 

with either less than a 

high school degree or 

technical degree 

reported respecting 

the values of people 

with different cultures 

and backgrounds, 

whereas over 95.5% of 

members with a high 

school degree or 

higher reported the 

same. Regardless of 

education level, all 

members across all 

years reported high 

levels of respecting 

others’ values.
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Confidence in Interacting with People from Different 

Cultures and Backgrounds

Q7d) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: I 

feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Program: VISTA members 

reported a marginally higher 

proportion of members that feel 

confident when interacting with 

people from different cultures 

and backgrounds over 

Americorps State and National 

members. VISTA and 

Americorps State and National 

members’ proportions remained 

consistently high from 2016 to 

2020 while NCCC members

reporting confidence in their 

interactions ranged as low as 

87.5 to 90%. 

Age: Members aged 25 to 44 

years old and members aged 65 

and older alternated as to who 

reported having the highest

percentage of members who felt

confident interacting with 

people from different cultures 

and backgrounds. Overall, more 

than 92% of members in each 

age group felt confident in their 

interactions with other cultures 

across all years. 
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Gender: Female AmeriCorps 

members and members not 

providing their gender reported 

a higher percentage of feeling 

confident in interacting with 

people from different cultures 

and backgrounds as compared 

to male AmeriCorps members. 

These differences only varied 

between 1 to 2 percentage 

points between 2016 to 2020, 

however.

Ethnicity: Between 94.5 to 95% 

of Hispanic or Latino members 

reported feeling confident when 

interacting with people of 

different cultures and 

backgrounds. Non-Hispanic or 

Latino members were close 

behind with between 92 and 

92.5% of members reporting 

feeling this confidence each 

year. Members who did not 

report their ethnicity fit between 

both groups each year.
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Race: Members identifying their 

race as “Other” consistently

reported the highest percentage 

of feeling confident in

interacting with other cultures 

whereas other races fluctuated 

in position year to year. White 

AmeriCorps members generally 

reported the lowest percentage 

of members feeling confident in 

their interactions with others, 

although all groups still 

reported fairly high percentages 

each year all above 91%. 

Focus Area: AmeriCorps 

members in the Veterans and 

Military Families focus area 

reported the highest percentage

of members who felt confident 

in interacting with people from 

differing cultures and 

backgrounds every year except 

for 2018 in which they fell from 

95 to 93%. All other focus areas 

except for those members 

unsure of their focus area 

remained above 91% from 2016 

to 2020. 
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Education Level: 93% 

of members with a high 

school degree or 

higher reported feeling 

confident while 

interacting with people 

from different cultures 

and backgrounds. 

Between 83.8 (a dip in 

2017) to 92% of 

members with less than 

a high school degree 

or technical degree felt 

confident in their 

interactions, however; 

these are some of the 

lowest percentages 

reported across all 

questions, years, and 

groups.
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Bridging Differences According to Teamwork

Disaggregating responses by whether a member served on a team can be used to 

assess the likelihood of a member having served alongside others different from 

themselves. Examining the presence of teamwork in a member’s service term and 

how it relates to their perceived notions of cultural competency is rooted in the ideas 

proposed by the Contact Hypothesis where the more frequently an individual 

interacts with non-majority populations the more that individual will reduce their 

prejudices of said group. 

Had a member not served on a team, the odds of that member interacting with other 

backgrounds and cultures could hypothetically be lower than a member who 

regularly served alongside other members. Whereas all AmeriCorps members could 

serve diverse populations as part of their service terms, members serving on teams 

could hypothetically increase the frequency by which they interact with individuals 

different from themselves as they travel, cook, coordinate, lodge, complete projects, 

and so on together with their teams. Given not all AmeriCorps service is personfacing, some AmeriCorps members’ only regular human interaction may be with their 

teams.

Using responses to Question 5e in the MES as a proxy to whether or not members 

served on a team, the graphs in this section examine how the presence of teamwork 

in one’s service experience leads to different MES responses. These graphs show that 

Teamwork appears to be the clearest factor by which the answers to these questions 

in the MES differ, with members having served on teams clearly reporting higher 

levels of cultural competency than those who had not served on teams. For some 

sub-questions in some years, the difference between members on teams and those 

not on teams reaches upwards of 10 percentage points. 

All said however, all members regardless of having served on a team/in a team 

setting still report high levels of the cultural competency needed to bridge 

differences and unite communities.
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Determining Which AmeriCorps Members Served on Teams 

To determine whether a member identified themselves as having served on a team, 

their response from the Member Exit Survey question 5e was used as a proxy: 

Question 5) During your AmeriCorps service, how frequently did you do the following 

activities listed below? 

• 5e) Work on a team for a common purpose

If the volunteer responded with “Very often” or “Often” to this question, they were 

counted as being on a team, but if they responded “Rarely” or “Never”, they were 

instead counted as not being on a team. Those members who responded with the 

response “Sometimes” were not included in either group. 

Americorps State and National and NCCC members reported higher percentages of 

serving on teams than their VISTA counterparts, although across all years over three 

quarters of all members regardless of service stream reported regularly serving in a 

team setting. Each year, 86 to 90% of all Americorps State and National and NCCC 

members reported serving on teams.

Figures derived from responses to Question 5e: During your 

AmeriCorps service, how frequently did you do the following 

activities listed below? “Work on a team for a common purpose.”
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Exploring Differences Between Coworkers and/or Friends from Different 

Cultures - Teamwork 

Question 7a) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from 

different cultures or background from me:

Teamwork: Members who identified as serving on a team reported a higher 

proportion (approximately 95%) of members who enjoy exploring differences 

between cultures and backgrounds compared to members who did not identify as 

serving on a team. The 80.4% of members who did not work on a team in 2017 

represent the smallest proportion of members that reported enjoying interacting 

with other cultures/backgrounds in any group during any year across this entire 

report. 

Interacting with People from Different Cultures and Backgrounds - Teamwork

Question 7b) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds:

Teamwork: 97 to 98% of AmeriCorps members who served on a team during their 

service reported enjoying interacting with people of different cultures and 

backgrounds. Only 88 to 90% of AmeriCorps members who did not serve on a team 

reported the same. Serving in a team-based setting corresponds to a very high level 

of enjoying interacting with people of different cultures and backgrounds. (continued 

on next page)
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Respecting the Values of People from Different Cultures and Backgrounds - 

Teamwork

Question 7c) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following 

statements: I respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

Teamwork: Over 98% of members who identified as serving on a team reported 

respecting the values of people from differing cultures and backgrounds. Participants 

who did not serve on team reported respecting others’ values around 5 to 7 

percentage points less during the same time frame.
28

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Confidence in Interacting with People from Different Cultures and 

Backgrounds – Teamwork 

Q7d) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: I 

feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Teamwork: 94.5% of members who identified as serving on a team reported feeling 

confident in interacting with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Members 

who did not serve on a team reported feeling confident in their interactions 

approximately 8 to 10 percentage points less each year.
29

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Conclusions and Considerations

Overall, regardless of how the data is disaggregated, AmeriCorps members report 

high levels of cultural competency. Members overwhelmingly:

• Enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from different cultures 

or background and me.

• Enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

• Respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds.

• Feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Slight differences between demographic groups exist, but no disaggregation 

provided particularly large differences amongst groups other than when 

disaggregating data according to Teamwork. Members who reported serving on 

teams reported noticeably greater levels of cultural competency than those who 

had not. Examining the role of teamwork across all AmeriCorps programs can help 

inform the overall efforts of AmeriCorps to unite and bridge differences amongst 

both members and communities served.

There are two factors to consider when interpreting findings from this report, the first 

being that AmeriCorps members who elect to partake in an AmeriCorps service term 

may already be more civically engaged and culturally aware/competent than 

individuals in similar populations that do not serve with AmeriCorps. Therefore, 

responses to the MES may only be representative of a population that largely exhibits 

cultural competency already.

The second consideration is that like any other survey respondents, members that 

take the MES may respond to survey questions in ways they believe would be seen 

more positively by others. Known as social-desirability bias, survey respondents may 

provide answers that overreport their actual beliefs and feelings so as to come across 

as more “socially acceptable”.6 

6 Callegaro, Mario. “Social Desirability.” Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods. (2008). 

https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963947

Although members may be drawn to AmeriCorps service because of some degree of 

existing cultural competency or curiosity and may overreport their actual beliefs and 

feelings, AmeriCorps integrates bridge-building activities into a member’s service 

experience regardless. The Bridging Differences questions in the MES ask about 

attitudes/dispositions of members on how they engage with others, but the tangible 

skills needed to become a culturally competent individual are learned, practiced, and 

maintained through AmeriCorps service. AmeriCorps provides the throughline from 

thinking about equity and diversity to providing an avenue by which said skills can be 

practiced by individuals as agents of positive change uniting and improving their 

communities during and after their service. 
30

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Appendix: Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, 

Year, and Program

Respondents could answer each of the four sub-questions of Question 7 using one of 

five options on a Likert scale. The tables below show the percentages of members 

that responded with either of the two affirmative responses per question (i.e. 

“Strongly Agree” or “Agree”), by each demographic indicator. 

Question 7a) Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, Year, and Program 

Q7a) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from different cultures or 

background and me.

By Program

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Americorps

State and 

National

NCCC VISTA

2016 92.8% 90.2% 93.5%

2017 92.8% 90.1% 93.2%

2018 93.0% 88.9% 93.1%

2019 92.8% 90.3% 93.7%

2020 93.8% 90.5% 93.9%

By Age:

Strongly agree or Agree

Year 18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65+

2016 93.5% 92.6% 89.4% 87.9%

2017 93.1% 92.1% 89.9% 88.3%

2018 93.3% 92.8% 89.5% 89.4%

2019 93.4% 92.5% 89.1% 88.4%

2020 94.3% 92.9% 90.2% 90.0%

By Gender

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Female Male Null

2016 93.8% 91.1% 93.6%

2017 93.7% 90.0% 92.5%

2018 93.8% 90.6% 95.6%

2019 93.9% 90.2% 92.6%

2020 94.6% 91.1% 93.8%

By Ethnicity

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Hispanic 

or Latino

Not Hispanic 

or Latino

No 

Response

2016 93.7% 92.9% 93.3%

2017 93.2% 92.6% 92.2%

2018 94.2% 92.6% 94.0%

2019 93.6% 92.7% 92.6%

2020 94.5% 93.6% 93.0%

By Race

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Black or 

African 

American

American 

Indian or 

Alaska 

Native

Asian or 

Asian 

American

Multiracial Null Other 

Race

Native 

Hawaiian or 

Other Pacific 

Islander

White

2016 93.0% 93.3% 95.6% 93.4% 93.7% 93.3% 92.8% 92.7%

2017 91.6% 90.2% 94.6% 93.1% 92.6% 93.0% 93.7% 92.8%

2018 92.0% 92.5% 94.2% 92.9% 93.7% 94.0% 91.1% 92.9%

2019 91.4% 93.8% 95.3% 92.1% 92.8% 92.8% 93.5% 93.2%

2020 92.0% 92.7% 95.4% 94.2% 93.2% 93.8% 95.1% 94.1%
31

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Q7a) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I enjoy exploring differences between co-workers and/or friends from different cultures or 

background and me. (Continued)

By Focus Area

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Education Healthy 

Futures 

Disaster 

Response

Veterans 

& Military 

Families

Environmental 

Stewardship

Economic 

Opportunity

Not 

sure/does 

not apply

2016 93.6% 94.8% 92.1% 91.9% 93.3% 94.2% 88.6%

2017 93.2% 94.4% 91.7% 92.8% 92.6% 94.5% 87.6%

2018 93.6% 94.8% 91.9% 92.8% 93.3% 94.2% 87.1%

2019 93.5% 94.9% 92.5% 92.1% 92.9% 94.4% 87.4%

2020 94.4% 95.2% 93.6% 93.7% 93.7% 94.8% 88.7%

By Education Level

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Associates 

Degree 

(AA)

College 

Graduate

Graduate 

Degree

High School 

Diploma/

GED

Less than 

High 

School

Some 

College

Technical 

School / 

Apprenticeship 

/ Vocational

Unknown

2016 91.0% 93.6% 92.5% 92.5% 89.0% 92.8% 87.3% 93.4%

2017 91.1% 93.4% 92.4% 91.3% 88.8% 92.4% 88.8% 92.3%

2018 92.3% 93.7% 92.4% 90.9% 90.0% 92.9% 84.1% 94.4%

2019 91.9% 93.5% 92.6% 91.9% 88.8% 92.9% 87.4% 92.4%

2020 91.6% 94.6% 92.4% 92.0% 90.7% 94.3% 86.6% 93.3%

By Teamwork

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Worked on a 

Team

Did not work 

on a team

2016 95% 84%

2017 95% 80%

2018 95% 83%

2019 95% 82%

2020 95% 84%
32

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Question 7b) Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, Year, and Program 

Q7b) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

By Program

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Americorps 

State and 

National

NCCC VISTA

2016 95.9% 93.9% 97.1%

2017 95.8% 92.8% 96.9%

2018 96.0% 93.9% 96.5%

2019 95.9% 94.3% 96.9%

2020 96.5% 93.8% 97.4%

By Age:

Strongly agree or Agree

Year 18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65+

2016 96.4% 96.0% 94.1% 94.1%

2017 95.9% 95.5% 94.9% 94.6%

2018 96.1% 96.0% 94.5% 95.2%

2019 96.2% 95.8% 94.5% 95.4%

2020 96.9% 96.1% 95.4% 95.2%

By Gender

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Female Male Null

2016 96.9% 94.1% 96.5%

2017 96.8% 93.1% 96.2%

2018 96.9% 93.7% 97.7%

2019 96.9% 93.7% 96.1%

2020 97.4% 94.4% 96.4%

By Ethnicity

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Hispanic 

or Latino

Not Hispanic 

or Latino

No 

Response

2016 97.1% 96.0% 96.1%

2017 96.6% 95.7% 94.9%

2018 96.7% 95.8% 96.5%

2019 96.8% 95.9% 95.5%

2020 97.2% 96.5% 95.6%

By Race

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Black or 

African 

American

American 

Indian or 

Alaska 

Native

Asian or 

Asian 

American

Multiracial Null Other 

Race

Native 

Hawaiian or 

Other Pacific 

Islander

White

2016 96.3% 96.1% 97.4% 96.3% 96.2% 96.6% 94.7% 95.9%

2017 95.3% 94.3% 97.0% 96.5% 95.1% 96.1% 96.4% 95.8%

2018 95.7% 96.4% 96.5% 95.5% 96.4% 96.5% 95.0% 96.0%

2019 95.2% 95.3% 97.0% 96.0% 95.6% 96.5% 97.2% 96.2%

2020 95.8% 96.4% 97.8% 97.4% 95.9% 96.6% 96.9% 96.7%
33

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Q7b) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds (Continued)

By Focus Area

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Education Healthy 

Futures 

Disaster 

Response

Veterans 

& Military 

Families

Environmental 

Stewardship

Economic 

Opportunity

Not 

sure/does 

not apply

2016 97.6% 95.5% 95.7% 96.0% 97.2% 93.0% 96.5%

2017 97.4% 94.7% 96.0% 95.7% 97.2% 91.8% 96.3%

2018 97.5% 94.8% 95.4% 95.9% 97.0% 91.3% 96.6%

2019 97.6% 95.4% 95.6% 96.4% 97.1% 91.7% 96.5%

2020 97.9% 96.2% 96.6% 96.5% 97.5% 92.7% 97.1%

By Education Level

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Associates 

Degree 

(AA)

College 

Graduate

Graduate 

Degree

High School 

Diploma/

GED

Less than 

High 

School

Some 

College

Technical 

School / 

Apprenticeship 

/ Vocational

Unknown

2016 96.0% 96.6% 96.0% 95.6% 91.4% 95.8% 94.2% 96.3%

2017 94.9% 96.3% 96.3% 94.7% 89.4% 95.6% 94.3% 94.8%

2018 95.3% 96.7% 96.0% 94.6% 92.2% 95.7% 90.4% 96.9%

2019 95.7% 96.7% 95.9% 95.1% 91.3% 95.7% 92.1% 95.5%

2020 95.7% 97.4% 95.8% 95.0% 92.8% 96.9% 92.8% 95.9%

By Teamwork

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Worked on a 

Team

Did not work 

on a team

2016 97.5% 90.6%

2017 97.3% 88.1%

2018 97.5% 90.3%

2019 97.6% 88.2%

2020 98.0% 90.1%
34

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Question 7c) Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, Year, and Program 

7c) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds.

By Program

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Americorps 

State and 

National

NCCC VISTA

2016 97.2% 95.2% 98.2%

2017 97.1% 94.5% 98.2%

2018 97.2% 94.7% 98.0%

2019 97.2% 95.3% 97.8%

2020 97.5% 95.0% 98.1%

By Age:

Strongly agree or Agree

Year 18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65+

2016 97.6% 97.1% 97.4% 97.8%

2017 92.2% 92.9% 92.7% 94.6%

2018 97.2% 97.2% 96.9% 98.2%

2019 97.3% 97.0% 97.0% 97.8%

2020 97.7% 96.9% 97.5% 97.2%

By Gender

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Female Male Null

2016 98.1% 95.8% 97.3%

2017 97.9% 94.8% 97.4%

2018 98.0% 95.2% 98.5%

2019 98.0% 95.3% 97.7%

2020 98.2% 95.7% 96.9%

By Ethnicity

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Hispanic 

or Latino

Not Hispanic 

or Latino

No 

Response

2016 97.9% 97.4% 97.4%

2017 97.2% 97.1% 96.4%

2018 97.5% 97.2% 97.6%

2019 97.3% 97.2% 96.9%

2020 97.7% 97.5% 96.9%

By Race

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Black or 

African 

American

American 

Indian or 

Alaska 

Native

Asian or 

Asian 

American

Multiracial Null Other 

Race

Native 

Hawaiian or 

Other Pacific 

Islander

White

2016 97.4% 97.5% 98.1% 97.0% 97.6% 97.2% 98.1% 97.5%

2017 96.5% 96.2% 98.1% 97.3% 96.5% 96.8% 97.6% 97.3%

2018 96.8% 97.8% 97.6% 96.9% 97.5% 97.3% 95.0% 97.4%

2019 96.4% 97.2% 98.0% 96.8% 97.0% 97.1% 97.2% 97.5%

2020 96.7% 97.6% 98.5% 97.7% 97.4% 97.0% 96.0% 97.8%
35

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7c) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I respect the values of people from different cultures and backgrounds (Continued)

By Focus Area

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Education Healthy 

Futures 

Disaster 

Response

Veterans 

& Military 

Families

Environmental 

Stewardship

Economic 

Opportunity

Not 

sure/does 

not apply

2016 97.7% 98.5% 96.8% 97.2% 97.3% 98.3% 95.0%

2017 97.4% 98.5% 96.2% 97.6% 97.1% 98.1% 94.1%

2018 97.7% 98.6% 96.2% 96.6% 97.4% 98.2% 93.3%

2019 97.6% 98.4% 96.2% 97.1% 97.5% 97.9% 94.2%

2020 98.0% 98.5% 97.0% 97.2% 97.6% 98.1% 94.1%

By Education Level

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Associates 

Degree 

(AA)

College 

Graduate

Graduate 

Degree

High School 

Diploma/

GED

Less than 

High 

School

Some 

College

Technical 

School / 

Apprenticeship 

/ Vocational

Unknown

2016 97.3% 97.6% 97.6% 97.0% 92.8% 97.5% 95.8% 97.6%

2017 97.2% 97.4% 97.4% 96.5% 91.8% 97.1% 94.0% 96.2%

2018 97.5% 97.7% 97.4% 96.0% 94.7% 97.0% 93.5% 97.8%

2019 97.5% 97.6% 97.5% 96.6% 94.0% 96.9% 93.9% 96.9%

2020 96.9% 98.0% 97.1% 96.3% 95.4% 97.7% 95.7% 97.5%

By Teamwork

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Worked on a 

Team

Did not work 

on a team

2016 98.6% 93.8%

2017 98.5% 91.3%

2018 98.5% 92.9%

2019 98.6% 91.3%

2020 98.7% 92.8%
36

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Question 7d) Percentage of Affirmative Responses by Question, Year, and Program 

7d) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and 

backgrounds.

By Program

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Americorps 

State and 

National

NCCC VISTA

2016 92.8% 88.7% 93.2%

2017 92.6% 87.5% 93.1%

2018 92.8% 88.6% 93.1%

2019 92.6% 90.2% 93.5%

2020 92.9% 89.4% 93.5%

By Age:

Strongly agree or Agree

Year 18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65+

2016 92.6% 93.5% 92.7% 93.5%

2017 92.2% 92.9% 92.7% 94.6%

2018 92.4% 93.6% 92.2% 92.7%

2019 92.4% 93.3% 92.6% 93.7%

2020 92.9% 93.0% 92.5% 92.2%

By Gender

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Female Male Null

2016 93.2% 92.1% 93.2%

2017 93.0% 90.9% 92.6%

2018 93.1% 91.6% 93.1%

2019 93.2% 91.4% 93.3%

2020 93.4% 91.4% 92.7%

By Ethnicity

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Hispanic 

or Latino

Not Hispanic 

or Latino

No 

Response

2016 95.0% 92.4% 93.8%

2017 94.6% 92.0% 92.4%

2018 95.0% 92.2% 93.3%

2019 94.9% 92.3% 92.4%

2020 95.0% 92.5% 92.7%

By Race

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Black or 

African 

American

American 

Indian or 

Alaska 

Native

Asian or 

Asian 

American

Multiracial Null Other 

Race

Native 

Hawaiian or 

Other Pacific 

Islander

White

2016 94.7% 93.7% 94.0% 93.8% 94.1% 94.7% 93.3% 91.7%

2017 94.0% 92.4% 92.8% 93.7% 92.8% 94.5% 93.3% 91.3%

2018 94.0% 93.3% 92.9% 93.1% 93.2% 94.9% 93.6% 91.8%

2019 93.1% 94.2% 92.8% 92.9% 92.8% 94.7% 92.5% 92.2%

2020 93.9% 93.7% 94.3% 94.4% 93.1% 94.7% 91.5% 92.0%
37

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7d) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I feel confident when interacting with people from different cultures and 

backgrounds (Continued)

By Focus Area

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Education Healthy 

Futures 

Disaster 

Response

Veterans 

& Military 

Families

Environmental 

Stewardship

Economic 

Opportunity

Not 

sure/does 

not apply

2016 93.3% 94.3% 93.3% 94.7% 92.7% 94.4% 89.0%

2017 93.0% 93.9% 91.3% 94.8% 92.0% 93.9% 88.4%

2018 93.4% 93.9% 91.4% 93.4% 92.5% 94.2% 87.8%

2019 93.4% 94.3% 92.5% 94.3% 92.3% 93.9% 87.9%

2020 93.7% 94.4% 93.0% 94.7% 91.7% 93.9% 88.8%

By Education Level

Strongly agree or Agree

Year

Associates 

Degree 

(AA)

College 

Graduate

Graduate 

Degree

High School 

Diploma/

GED

Less than 

High 

School

Some 

College

Technical 

School / 

Apprenticeship 

/ Vocational

Unknown

2016 93.2% 92.8% 93.8% 92.0% 87.4% 93.4% 88.9% 93.8%

2017 92.7% 92.6% 93.3% 91.6% 83.8% 92.7% 90.4% 92.3%

2018 92.0% 93.2% 94.0% 91.2% 88.5% 92.5% 87.2% 93.2%

2019 93.4% 92.9% 94.2% 91.6% 89.9% 92.8% 86.8% 92.8%

2020 91.4% 93.3% 93.3% 91.5% 90.3% 93.6% 90.2% 93.4%

By Teamwork

Strongly agree or Agree

Year Worked on a 

Team

Did not work 

on a team

2016 94.4% 86.7%

2017 94.2% 84.2%

2018 94.4% 86.2%

2019 94.4% 85.1%

2020 94.6% 84.7%