News from Civic Futures Institute

New Report Maps Four Alternative Futures for Civic Life in America in 2036

From artificially intelligent civic agents to a "guarded union" built on rules, Civic Life in America reminds us we still have the power to choose.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 — As the United States marks its 250th year, the nonpartisan Civic Futures Institute released a new report exploring how American civic life could change over the next decade — and how much power everyday Americans still have to shape it.

Civic Life in America: Alternative Futures in 2036 uses foresight methodology to sketch four sharply different paths American civic life could take by 2036 — from participation that becomes frictionless and AI-assisted, to communities that hollow out from the inside, to a country where every citizen has an AI agent working the halls of government on their behalf.

"Most Americans can see what's wrong with civic life today, but fewer believe they have the power to change it," said Lisa Duty, Ph.D., founder of Civic Futures Institute and author of the report. "By exploring several alternative futures, we widen the aperture on what's possible — and help people see the choices hiding inside the forces already reshaping their communities."

The report draws on 38 expert interviews conducted between January and June 2026, alongside extensive secondary research, to explore how five converging forces — a widening gap between civic participation and trust, AI-mediated information and relationships, social connection, economic precarity, and political polarization — could push American civic life toward radically different destinations.

Four futures, one question: what future will you build?

Built on futurist Jim Dator's widely used "Four Futures" framework, the report presents four scenarios for 2036, while noting there are many alternative futures to be anticipated. None of the futures are all "good" or "bad," and each contains gains, losses, contradictions, and tradeoffs to be considered by the reader.

• Convenient America: Civic life becomes easier to enter, harder to belong to.
• The Hollow Republic: Civic life does not disappear — it hollows out.
• A Guarded Union: Civic life becomes more rule-bound, both protected and constrained.
• Agentic Nation: Civic life acquires a second layer of representation.

Change in American civic life is unfolding within a wider global democratic recession. In 2026, Freedom House reports that global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2025 and rates the United States as Free, with a score of 81 out of 100. At home, just 17% of Americans say they trust the federal government to do what is right most or all of the time, according to Pew Research Center — down from 73% in 1958. A record 45% identify as political independents.

The challenge is not simply left versus right. It is whether Americans can renew or reinvent the relationships, habits, associations, and governing capacity that make self-government workable.

Each of the report's four futures are anchored by a future forecast with vivid, human scenes of what daily civic life could feel like if a pattern took hold. The report doesn't offer predictions, but each alternative future presents signals—developments occurring today that suggest parts of that future may already be emerging.

"None of these futures is a best- or worst-case scenario," Duty said. "Each comes with real gains and real costs. The point isn't to predict a winner. It's to break the spell of any single future feeling inevitable."

The report concludes that agency does not require pretending everyone holds equal power. Our future begins with recognizing that power still exists, and we have a choice in what comes next.

Civic Life in America: Alternative Futures in 2036 was developed with support from the Ellis Family Fund and is available now at civicfutures.us.

Reynoldsburg Shares the Spirit of America

Neighbors Gather for a Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence as Part of America 250-Ohio Commemoration

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — July 8, 2026 — Reynoldsburg residents are invited to a community reading of the Declaration of Independence on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. ET at the Reynoldsburg YMCA, 1470 Davidson Dr., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068.

Co-hosted by Civic Futures Institute and Association of Bhutanese of Ohio, the event will bring neighbors together for a brief public reading followed by an informal reception. The program is free and open to all.

The reading is part of a broader statewide effort to mark America's semiquincentennial through America 250-Ohio, the official state commission responsible for spearheading Ohio's celebrations and commemorations.

During the event, local residents will take turns reading portions of the Declaration aloud. Nearly 800 communities across the country, in all 50 states, are gathering to read the founding document aloud simultaneously at 6:00 PM ET, and to reflect on the ideas that helped shape our nation.

250 years ago on July 8, 1776, colonists gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the very first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration had been officially adopted four days prior, asserting the colonies' right to self-governance.

"Since its adoption, the Declaration has been a powerful symbol of our country's commitment to freedom," said Lisa Duty, Ph.D., founder of Civic Futures Institute. "Reading the Declaration together - united as Americans and neighbors - gives us an opportunity to reflect on our past, celebrate our shared values, and look ahead to the future we want to create."

"The principles and values memorialized in the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago still speak to us today," said Bhuwan Pyakurel, founder of Association of Bhutanese of Ohio and president of Reynoldsburg City Council. "They remind us that freedom carries both personal and shared responsibility. I'm honored to mark this moment with my neighbors in a place I am proud to call my home."

Members of the media are welcome to attend. For questions or additional information, contact Lisa Duty, Ph.D., Founder, Civic Futures Institute at lisa@civicfutures.us or Bhuwan Pyakurel, Founder, Association of Bhutanese of Ohio at bhurefame@gmail.com.

Domestic Exchange Student Program Adds Locations for 2027

Watch on NBC4

Civic Futures Institute, America 250-Ohio, and American Exchange Project Unveil Vision and Investment in Civic Exchange for Ohio

COLUMBUS, OHIO — May 13, 2026 — Civic Futures Institute and America 250-Ohio will gather leaders at the Ohio Statehouse today to introduce American Exchange Project in Ohio. The organizations will announce a bold new vision and an ambitious investment in civic connection in up to 20 Ohio communities in 2027.

The partnership brings together Civic Futures Institute's work to restore civic imagination, American Exchange Project's national domestic exchange model, and America 250-Ohio's statewide commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary.

American Exchange Project is the country's first free domestic exchange program, founded in 2019 as a nonpartisan solution to the growing divisions in our country, and designed to create lasting connections between Americans from different backgrounds, foster empathy among neighbors, and give young adults the chance to see themselves and their country in new ways.

The summer after graduating, high school seniors spend one week immersing themselves in an American community completely different from their own, and another week showing students from across the country the best parts of their town. Both weeks are rooted in shared adventure, unlikely connections, and a love for our hometowns—from Alaska's icy glaciers to L.A.'s glittering coastline to Kansas's rolling fields of golden wheat—and everything in between.

"At a time when Americans are often told how divided we are, this partnership starts from a different premise: that the country is still knowable to itself when people meet through real communities and shared experience," said Lisa Duty, Ph.D., Founder of Civic Futures Institute. "This partnership invites Ohio communities to help shape the next chapter of the American story by investing in young people, hometowns, and the relationships that strengthen civic life."

Cleveland City Schools and Bellefontaine Local Schools hosted exchanges in 2025. The May 13 reception will introduce civic, education, and elected leaders to the opportunity to participate in an expanded Ohio cohort. With partnership and new investment, the program will grow to reach an additional 20 communities, with the official announcement of the America 250 Ohio Commemorative Cohort planned for this fall.

"American Exchange Project is built on a simple but urgent idea: young Americans must have the chance to encounter their country and the people in it directly," said David McCullough III, Cofounder & CEO of American Exchange Project. "We are proud to work with Civic Futures Institute and America 250-Ohio to bring this first-of-its-kind program to Ohio at a moment when the nation is both reflecting on its past and imagining its future."

The Ohio initiative aligns with America 250-Ohio's work to commemorate the United States' 250th anniversary by engaging communities across the state in reflection, participation, and civic renewal. "America 250-Ohio is about more than commemoration; it is about participation," said Todd Kleismit, Executive Director of America 250-Ohio. "This partnership helps carry the 250th forward into the places where civic life is actually formed: in hometowns, public spaces, and the relationships that remind Americans they belong to something larger than themselves."

Early survey data from an independent university study shows that American Exchange Project participants became substantially less biased towards those who view the country through a different ideological lens, made an average of three new friends throughout the program, and grew more hopeful about the future of the United States.

The goal is for American exchanges to become a rite of passage for new graduates—as common as the senior prom.

A New Civic Rite of Passage: American Exchange Project in Ohio

Mountain Heights Academy graduates, with American Exchange Project guests, explore sunset at the Salt Flats. Teresa Akagi, American Exchange Project.

Every so often, you come across an idea that feels especially relevant to the moment.

That was my reaction to American Exchange Project, a free domestic exchange program for graduated seniors that gives young people the chance to experience an American community very different from their own while also rediscovering their hometown. All of the essentials — meals, flights, activities, lodging, and transportation — are covered in full.

In my work through Civic Futures Institute, I spend a great deal of time thinking about civic life: what helps people feel connected to one another, what strengthens belonging, and what invites the next generation to see themselves as participants in something bigger than themselves. American Exchange Project is part of that solution.

Founded as a nonpartisan response to growing division in our country, American Exchange Project is designed to create lasting connections between Americans from different backgrounds, foster empathy, and help young adults see themselves and their country in new ways. It is a new civic rite of passage rooted in adventure, connection, and hometown pride. That is why Civic Futures Institute has decided to partner with American Exchange Project in Ohio.

And Ohio is a wonderful place to be part of the great American story. Ours is a state of proud towns and big-hearted cities, of Lake Erie shorelines and Appalachian foothills, of aerospace, agriculture, resilience, and reinvention. There is something beautiful about Ohio's mix of grit and warmth, local pride, and quiet generosity. We have a great deal to show and just as much to gain from helping young people encounter more of the America we love, and more of one another.

American Exchange Project is only established in a few communities in Ohio, and the larger opportunity to engage has arrived. To learn more, please get in touch at lisa@civicfutures.us.

P.S. I'll be co-hosting an event soon to help Ohio friends, colleagues, and elected officials get to know the program up close.

Civic Futures Institute Launches to Restore Civic Imagination

COLUMBUS, Ohio — March 18, 2026 — Civic Futures Institute, a new national, nonpartisan organization, has officially launched. The organization exists to restore civic imagination and help people reclaim their agency to shape the future of American democratic life.

At a time of rising polarization, eroding trust, and rapid change, Civic Futures Institute helps civic and private-sector leaders think beyond the immediate moment and make stronger long-term decisions. Its work focuses on civic life - how people participate in, contribute to, renew, and sustain the communities and institutions that make self-government possible.

"American democracy is a great experiment that is never finished. Every generation is asked to renew it. But people have lost the ability - and the invitation - to imagine a better civic future. When imagination fades, agency fades with it," said Lisa Duty, Ph.D., founder of Civic Futures Institute. "Civic Futures Institute exists to help more people see new possibilities, rediscover their agency, and take part in building what comes next."

The organization launches with a signature research project underway: Map of the Future: Civic Life in America's Next Decade. Releasing in fall 2026, the project will explore possible, probable, and preferred futures for civic life in 2036 and help people consider the future they want to build.

"Civic Futures Institute fills an important gap in American civic life by giving serious attention to the future as a matter of public responsibility," said David Staley, futurist and author of The AI Symposium. "It brings long-range thinking to a domain that needs not only energy and commitment, but greater strategic imagination."

Civic Futures Institute is led by Dr. Lisa Duty, futurist, strategist, and advisor whose work spans foresight, innovation, and civic renewal. She is the Futures Consultant for Future Ohio 2076, an initiative of America 250-Ohio.

For more information, visit civicfutures.us.