Civic participation rates may be lower for Latinos than other ethnic/racial groups, but it's higher than ever for the population. Improved educational opportunities, unparalleled social media engagement and community involvement demonstrates Latinos' aptitude for greater civic involvement.

The National Conference on Citizenship prepared a report showing that Latino youth, also known as the 'Sleeping Giant' of the U.S. Latino population, show the promise of increased civic engagement, as they're increasingly participating in improved educational opportunities, English language proficiency and higher than average rates of social media usage, creating increased walks for youth engagement.

Even as Latino civic participation rates have jumped, participation rates are lagging behind other groups. The Latinos Civic Health Index Report examined trends regarding volunteerism, political participation and neighborhood trust, while also weighing immigration status, income, age, race and national origin.

Hispanic internet users use social networking sites at higher rates (80 percent) than non-Latino whites (70 percent) and African Americans (75 percent). Additionally, low-income Latino youth, more than higher-income Latino youth, are likely to use social media for the purposes of new opportunities for civic engagement.

"Latinos are the fastest growing demographic group in America, and their active civic participation is critical to the future of the Latino community and our nation," said Ilir Zherka, NCoC Executive Director, in a statement. "Latino youth are the next generation of community leaders and the prospects for their greater involvement in civic health is bright."

Examples of overdue Latino civic health can be found when looking at the 2012 Presidential election. While there was a 48 percent of eligible Latino voters turned out to vote (compared to 67 percent of African Americans and 64 percent of non-Latino whites), however that was a tremendous increase since the 2008 election.

According to the report, the strongest predictor of civic participation is education, and education attainment has improved significantly for Latino youth over the last two decades. Since 1993, Latino dropout rates have been cut in half and many more are entering college.

"Latino participation in elections continues to grow as does its impact on the election process," said Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director, in a statement. "Our participation will be further enhanced as the number of Latino candidates increase, and dialogue regarding issues of concern to Latinos takes center stage."

Strengthened civic health can resolve collective problems on a community level, affecting economic resilience, upward income mobility, local GDP and student achievement. Civil health is also shown to improve physical, emotional, social and mental health on an individual level.

According to researchers, there must be more investigation into Latino civic engagement and health. The report asks that more researchers investigate the U.S. Latino experience to better understand what it takes to become full-fledged civic participants.

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