The majority of Americans, according to an annual survey, don’t know enough about their political system to pass a citizenship exam, even as the country gets ready to celebrate Constitution Day on Sunday.
The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania conducted an online survey with 1,482 persons last month. Thursday saw the announcement of the outcomes. Of the respondents, just 28% acknowledged that the First Amendment provides freedom of the press and just 40% knew that it protects freedom of religion.
James Grossman, the executive director of the American Historical Association, told The Washington Times that “these results are disturbing, especially considering the current threats to our democratic institutions.” “If people don’t understand the institutions themselves, it’s difficult for them to comprehend the nature and significance of those threats.”
Partisan controversies dominated news about the federal government last year, and the Annenberg study revealed dramatic losses in basic civics understanding. More scandals occurred this year, according to pollsters.
Partisan controversies dominated news about the federal government last year, and the Annenberg study revealed dramatic losses in basic civics understanding. More scandals occurred this year, according to pollsters.
Annenberg pointed out that the most recent poll was conducted at a time when, among other things, congressional Republicans are considering impeachment proceedings against President Biden, the U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated racial preferences in college admissions, and former President Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments.
This year, the center will no longer conduct live telephone interviews; instead, participants will complete an online survey on their own, giving them more time to consider (or research) their responses. The shift was attributed by pollsters to a declining response rate to phone surveys.
The institute stated on Thursday that because online respondents often have “higher knowledge levels than phone respondents,” it was impossible to objectively compare this year’s results to those from previous year.
With more time to consider the questions this year, 1 in 6 adults were still unable to name any of the three branches of the federal government: legislative, judicial, and executive, according to Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and survey creator. This is “worrisome.”
Regardless of whether a person prefers online or phone inquiries, the results of all of our polls show that a worrying proportion of people lack the knowledge necessary to exercise their constitutional rights or comprehend how our political system functions, according to Ms. Jamieson.
When asked to name the other freedoms protected by the First Amendment, respondents fared less well than expected: just 9% of respondents were aware of their right to petition the government, whereas 77% of respondents named freedom of expression and 33% named the right to assemble.
As in previous years, respondents to the survey who completed a high school civics course were more likely to know the answers.
The poll, according to Wilfred McClay, an award-winning American historian at Hillsdale College, validates the “massive and ongoing failure” of American education to teach students about their political system.
Mr. McClay told The Times, “A potential conqueror could hardly imagine doing a better job of rendering us ill-equipped to be… self-governing.” “For citizens to comprehend their institutions, accurate and non-ideological American history must be taught.”
Others played down the results, pointing out that there were “notable increases” in civics knowledge in 2020 and 2021 according to the annual study.
The United States has lasted since its establishment, despite the survey’s “terrible levels of knowledge,” according to retired University of Illinois professor Robert Weissberg, who began teaching American politics in the 1960s.
A knowledgeable populace is not necessary for our system to function, he continued. “We would have disappeared long ago if it had.”
Advocates for civil rights claim that there is enough space in the survey for colleges and high schools to enhance their curriculum.
According to Jeremy C. Young of the free speech advocacy organization PEN America, “Americans’ limited knowledge of their First Amendment rights continues to be a weak spot.” “For this reason, it’s critical that educational institutions include instruction on the concepts of free expression in their curricula and student programming.”
Former associate dean of the University of Mississippi’s law school and law professor Ronald J. Rychlak said, “It’s an indictment of our high schools.” “It is imperative that recent high school graduates comprehend the workings of the Constitution.”
The study results, according to Peter Wood, a former assistant provost at Boston University and president of the conservative National Association of Scholars, also demonstrate that the media has not done a good job of impartially educating the public about politics.
Mr. Wood told The Times, “That leaves even the most knowledgeable people to approach the Constitution through a lens of hostility toward people they don’t like.” “In the meantime, teaching the Constitution is not as important in our schools as combating climate change and institutional racism.”
