This report explores how AmeriCorps members responded to select questions of the AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey (MES). The AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) designed the AmeriCorps MES to capture members’ attitudes towards their service experiences upon exiting their AmeriCorps Programs. Data in this report is from 2019, 2021, and 2023 to mimic the same cadence in which the U.S. Census Bureau collects data in the Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CEV) supplement.
Across the five years spanning this analysis, data from the AmeriCorps MES tell a story of stability in the AmeriCorps member experience. The majority of members personally and professionally valued their service experiences, felt they had grown as individuals, and viewed their service as beneficial for the common good.
Though responses to AmeriCorps MES questions do not greatly change year to year, the proportion of members serving in AmeriCorps with high school diplomas and no college degree increased from 2019 to 2023. Given that AmeriCorps MES responses remain fairly positive across all years, this suggests that the AmeriCorps service experience is beneficial for all incoming members, regardless of their educational attainment.