Join Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement on February 27, 2026, for the National Launch of the Civic Language Perceptions Project Findings

​Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) is releasing new findings from its 2025 Civic Language Perceptions Project during a national webinar on February 27, 2026, presenting multi-year research on how Americans across political, demographic, and geographic divides understand civic and democratic language. The project surveys thousands of voters to examine which terms have "bridgeyness" potential to unite diverse audiences and which inadvertently signal exclusion or partisan allegiance, providing evidence-based guidance for practitioners seeking to engage broad communities without triggering defensive reactions. The webinar will introduce an updated interactive dashboard with approximately 500 data visualizations, a refreshed guide on strategic language use, and new research on how people make sense of democracy and perceived threats to it in a high-stakes political moment. This work advances NCDD's mission by illuminating how word choices shape who feels invited into civic conversation, offering dialogue practitioners and organizers practical tools to prioritize connection and inclusivity through strategic communication that builds bridges rather than reinforcing division.

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Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) is hosting a national launch webinar on February 27, 2026, to release new findings from its Civic Language Perceptions Project, a multi-year research initiative examining how Americans across differences understand and respond to civic and democratic language. Building on over five years of data collection and analysis, the project investigates which civic terms unite or divide audiences, how different words signal inclusion or exclusion, and what language choices enable productive dialogue in polarized environments. The upcoming webinar will share fresh 2025 data, introduce an updated interactive dashboard featuring approximately 500 data visualizations, and present a refreshed guide on "talking bridgey"—the practice of using language that builds bridges across diverse audiences rather than inadvertently signaling partisan allegiance or halting conversation before it begins. This research addresses a critical challenge for civic practitioners, philanthropists, and community organizers who seek to engage broad audiences without triggering defensive reactions or unintended division.

The Civic Language Perceptions Project surveys thousands of American voters to understand their impressions of terms like democracy, civic engagement, racial equity, and dozens of other concepts central to civic life. The research reveals that words Americans use to describe shared values often carry dramatically different meanings and emotional associations across political, demographic, and geographic divides. PACE's methodology examines not only what terms people prefer but how they define these concepts in their own words, providing rich insight into whether communities are aligned in their understanding of foundational civic principles or talking past each other while assuming shared meaning. The project's findings have practical applications for anyone communicating about democratic values, community engagement, or social change, offering evidence-based guidance on which terms have strong "bridgeyness" potential and which inadvertently signal exclusion to particular audiences.

The February webinar will highlight new research on how Americans make sense of democracy and perceived threats to it—timely insights given ongoing debates about democratic resilience and civic health. By making data visualizations publicly accessible and offering detailed definitional analysis, PACE enables practitioners to ground their communication strategies in evidence about how language functions in real civic contexts. The project represents a significant contribution to dialogue and deliberation practice by illuminating the often-invisible ways word choices shape who feels invited into civic conversation and who feels alienated before dialogue even begins. This work strengthens democratic engagement by helping communicators, facilitators, and organizers choose language strategically to prioritize connection and inclusivity over unexamined linguistic habits that may reinforce division.
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To register for PACE's February 27, 2026, webinar on new findings from the Civic Language Perceptions Project, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUoduyhqDosG9dKfCxJOYX6tQGE5kPPiTXt