A citizen is a person who holds the legal status of citizenship in a nation or state. Citizenship is generally defined as a relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance, and which grants the individual certain privileges not granted to non-citizens of that country, including the right to vote in public elections and the protection of the laws of the country. Citizenship is often conferred by birth or naturalization within a country, and may be conferred at the national, state, or local level. Good citizens are typically those who participate in their country’s government, civic life, and social life. This includes activities such as voting, paying taxes, donating blood, volunteering to help others, and protecting the country through military service.
In the United States, a majority of people believe that being a good citizen is important to their lives. In fact, around three-quarters of American adults say that it is very important to be a good citizen, while almost seven-in-ten agree that it is very important to always follow the law and pay their taxes. Despite this broad consensus, there are notable differences between the views of Democrats and Republicans about the traits and behaviors that constitute being a good citizen. For example, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely than Democrats to say that it is very important to be able to volunteer to help others (52% vs. 33%), to know the Pledge of Allegiance (71% vs. 34%), and to display the American flag (52% vs. 25%).
One of the main things that people do to be a good citizen is to participate in their country’s government and civic life. This means voting in both big and small elections, attending town hall meetings about issues that affect them, and educating themselves about the topics that they care about. Good citizens also participate in their community by supporting local businesses and artisans, reducing waste through recycling and reusing materials, and taking steps to conserve resources. Lastly, good citizens support their country by serving in the military or by volunteering to protect their home countries through peacekeeping missions abroad.
There is a wide range of research on the concept of citizenship, with some studies looking at the normative dimensions of the concept (the beliefs and attitudes that constitute a “good” citizen), while others look at the active aspects of the concept (the behavior or actions that a citizen engages in to demonstrate his or her good citizenship). These two aspects are related, but are not necessarily the same thing. For example, many scholars have studied how citizens learn about the concepts of citizenship and how they develop these characteristics over time. Other studies examine how different cultural, historical, and educational contexts can influence the expectations of citizens about what constitutes being a good citizen. For example, some research suggests that people from less affluent communities tend to have lower expectations of what it means to be a good citizen.