While the majority of young people aren't engaged in their communities, a study released Tuesday found what researchers called a higher than expected level of political and community engagement among Americans ages 15 to 25.

In many civic activities, there were only small differences in the rates of participation between young people and older people, the report's authors said.

More than 36 percent of young people volunteered in their communities, 30 percent had boycotted a product in protest and almost a quarter had raised money for charities, according to the report.

The survey, by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, a nonpartisan group funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, was of 1,700 youths nationwide and was done from April to June.

"This is a generation that's just screaming to be paid attention to," said Heather Smith, director of Young Voter Strategies, a nonprofit group that works with young voters. "They are engaged. They are paying attention. When issues are relevant, they are willing to flex their political muscle."

Among the report's findings:

-African-Americans age 15 to 25 were the most politically engaged racial or ethnic group: more likely to vote, donate money to campaigns or volunteer with campaigns.

-Asian-American youths were the most civically engaged, with the highest rates of volunteerism.

-White youths presented a "mixed picture" in their level of engagement. They were the most likely of their peers to run, walk or ride bikes for charity, but the least likely to protest, donate money to candidates or political parties, or try to persuade others about elections.

-While Latino youths were the least engaged, they were the most involved in protests, with 25 percent saying they had participated in a protest - more than twice the proportion of any other ethnic group. That was driven largely by the debate over immigration policy, researchers said.

- Men and women had similar levels of overall engagement, but men were more likely to be active in politics while women were more likely to be involved in civic activities.

Civic and political participation are important because "societal institutions work better when more people participate," said Peter Levine, the director of the center that issued the report.

There were some discordant notes.

Fifty-eight percent of young people were considered "disengaged" because they participated in two or fewer of the 19 activities classified as civic or political; 28 percent participated in none.

By contrast, 44 percent of adults are considered disengaged, said Mark Hugo Lopez, one of the report's authors.

Distressingly, those numbers mean that many Americans of all ages consider civic involvement to be an "optional leisure activity" rather than a responsibility, said William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a center-left Washington think tank.

In a test of political knowledge, 56 percent of youths didn't know that only U.S. citizens could vote in elections. Only 30 percent could name a single member of President Bush's Cabinet.

"Adults are generally more engaged," particularly in voting, Lopez conceded.

While young people vote and pay attention to news at a lower level than in previous generations, the high level of volunteering could provide hope as they age, Levine said.

"We could be seeing the seeds of a more engaged generation," Levine said.

The report is online at www.civicyouth.org.

© 2006 McClatchy Washington Bureau and wire service sources

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