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Friday, September 13th, 2024

Freedom of what? Poll finds most Americans still clueless about the First Amendment

Author:     StudyFinds Staff
Source:     Study Finds
Publication Date:     Sep 12, 2024
 Link: Freedom of what? Poll finds most Americans still clueless about the First Amendment
Stephan:  

When I was a boy in, I think, the 4th grade, we spent one session each day for a semester studying civics, how the country was structured, how elections worked, and what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were about. Public schools and religious schools, and some private schools don’t seem to teach that any more. As a result a third of Americans can’t even name the three branches of government. You cannot preserve a democracy when a large percentage of the population don’t even know how the government is structured. I think teaching civics ought to be mandatory in both elementary school, and again at a more sophisticated level in high school, and there ought to be approved by historians not politicians textbooks used in those classes.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — Do you know your First Amendment rights? Can you name all three branches of the U.S. government? If you’re scratching your head, you’re not alone. A recent survey shows that, even in an election year, many Americans are still fuzzy on some basic civics concepts.

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey to celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17, offers a fascinating glimpse into what Americans know (and don’t know) about their government and constitutional rights.

First, the positive: nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) can correctly name all three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial. It means most people understand the basic structure of our government and how power is divided.

When it comes to the First Amendment, though, things get a bit murkier. While almost everyone knows about freedom of speech (74% of respondents named it), the other four rights protected by this crucial amendment are far more problematic for Americans to name. Only 39% mentioned freedom of religion, 29% noted freedom of the press, 27% recalled the right to assembly, and a mere 11% identified […]

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1 Comment

  1. Albus Eddie on Friday, September 13, 2024 at 5:39 am

    This level of ignorance serves both major parties well. If the population had a full idea of the actual performance of the duopoly they would realize that the Democrats and Republicans have been taking them for a ride for generations.