PHILADELPHIA — A sizable portion of the American public seems to show little interest in the fabric of the country’s government and history, a new survey finds.
Researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) surveyed over 1,000 American adults, finding a shocking lack of knowledge as it pertains to U.S. politics among the general populace.
Fifty-three percent of respondents believed the falsehood that illegal immigrants aren’t granted any constitutional rights, while 37 percent couldn’t even name a single right endowed by the First Amendment.
Thankfully, 48 percent of those surveyed were able to identify freedom of speech as being a right enshrined by the First Amendment, although far fewer could identify other rights accorded.
These include freedom of religion (15 percent), freedom of the press (14 percent), right of peaceful assembly (10 percent), and right to petition the government (three percent).
“Protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution presupposes that we know what they are. The fact that many don’t is worrisome,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, in a press release. “These results emphasize the need for high-quality civics education in the schools and for press reporting that underscores the existence of constitutional protections.”
Meanwhile, only 26 percent of Americans could name all three branches of the federal government — that would be the executive, legislative, and judicial, for those playing at home.
While conservatives were more likely to be able to name all three branches than liberals or moderates, the overall proportion of the public that can name all three has fallen by 12 percent since 2011.
Perhaps most embarrassing: a full third of respondents couldn’t name a single federal branch of government, a figure that hasn’t shifted over the past half-decade.
As for the rights of illegal immigrants, a majority of conservatives (67 percent) believed that illegal aliens were not provided any legal recourse, compared to slight minorities of moderates (48 percent) and liberals (46 percent).
In reality, illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. are usually afforded a number of rights, including protection under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
On another note, it’s somewhat surprising that a significant minority of respondents believed that one could be denied rights on the basis of their religion (e.g., if they were Muslim or atheist).
The poll’s findings have a sampling error of about 3.7 percentage points.
If there was a basic civics test to require voting the voter rolls would be cut by 70%. You want to blame someone? Blame the leftist that set the standards and indoctrinate, excuse me, “educate”, these idiots.
Keepin em stupid and votin Democat
TOO EASY: Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria DUH!
I am not surprised. The liberal elites and the democrats have virtually destroyed our public education system, once the greatest education system in the world.
This is so sad, especially since it’s so obvious 3 branches are Pentagon, CIA, and NSA.
Demonstrates a fundamental problem with our nation. An educated, informed and engaged electorate is critical to maintaining a Republic, without it the Republic is lost. Whatever happened to basic Civics class in schools?
It was taken out for more important needs, like transgender acceptance and how to apply for public aid (might think I am joking, but the second example is a class in the great, striving community of East St Louis, Illinois)
Wow…..and we wonder what is happening to our nation and why?!?!
They might not know all three branches, but they stopped showing them the pledge in schools – public education has a lot to congratulate itself for!
Forced diversity and continued immigration will be the death of the US. This once great country, of which I am a seventh generationer, cannot stand much longer.
I totally agree. Half of me is generated (proper term?) back to 1680, the other half….have no idea, they didn’t keep records back that far (Comanche)
I bet not 1 in 100 can tell the difference between a republic and a democracy.
This is what happens when you stop teaching the basics and start teaching political correctness. Just one more failure of the public school system.
If one cannot identify what constitutes a civilized republic then god help you when civilization leaves you.
What’s so “shocking”? Liberals infested the education system years ago with revised history, no civics classes, outcome based education, no grading standards, no classroom discipline, and common core math. The result is at least two generations of indoctrinated idiots who know nothing about government, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers. They’re more interested in Safe Spaces, “Womyns Studies”, and interfering with the free speech of others.
I bet more people know what Bruce Jenner’s favorite perfume is than who their senators are.
They might not know all three branches, but they stopped showing them to take the pledge in schools – socialist America-deprecating methods have dulled the wits of many!
oh look – the fruits of a ‘progressive’ education system.
a stupid, easily manipulated populace.
TMZ keeps removing this. So, here. I went back and found this in article from 2 months ago that I commented on.
DJT is a RACIST! His history is known. Donald has plenty of examples.
1.) He lied about his daddy being arrested for wearing KKK attire and attacking Catholics.
2.) The TWO housing discrimination lawsuits. Yes, we do know the details. The government laid them out. You just don’t want to believe them.
3.) John O’Donnell said Trump called black people lazy. Trump said “the stuff O’Donnell wrote about me is probably true.” Trump said this in a Playboy interview in 1991.
4.) A Jewish real estate broker said on TV…TV that Fred Trump and a young Donald came into the Jewish real estate guy’s office, and Fred Trump told him that they don’t rent to “n-words.” The broker said he looked at Donald, and Donald shook his head up and down.
5.) The Central Park Five. Donald to out full-page ads in 4 newspapers against those boys. And when it was found out that they were innocent Donald didn’t even apologize. He came at them with viciousness. He still said they were guilty in OCTOBER of last year when DNA tests proved they weren’t guilty. The city paid the guys $41 mil.
6.)Trumped called “Django Unchained” the MOST RACIST FILM ever b/c Jamie Foxx’s character said “I can kill whites and get paid for it. What’s not to like about it?” Django was a dramedy! It wasn’t even serious. Django was a SLAVE! Not to mention that the character was going after EVIL slave owners. That’s the MOST RACIST film Donald has ever seen?!! Really??!
7.) Randall Pinkett who the Apprentice season 4 called Donald a racist. Randall said that he was the only black person to ever attend a manager’s meeting in his entire year with Trump’s company.
8.) Miss Teen USA, who was black at the time, said that she was told by her handlers for the pageant that Trump didn’t like blacks and for her not to take it personally.
9.) Kip Brown said all of the blacks were ordered off of the floor in Trump’s casinos when Trump came b/c Trump didn’t like blacks.
10.) Trump publicly pitched what was essentially “The Apprentice: White People vs. Black People.”
11.) He called an American judge a Mexican who couldn’t do his job properly b/c he was “Mexican.”
12.) He asked for Barack’s transcripts. I haven’t seen Donald offer up his transcripts or those of his kids.
Trump’s a racist! Get over it.
Our educational system is very successful ……..at failing
Does anyone actually believe this Republic can survive this generation and their immediate progeny? Anyone? Anyone?
What they don’t tell you is that 1/3 of the population can’t speak english either and are most likely illegals.
I’m shocked people do not know the three branches of government: The Supreme Court, The Court of Appeals; and the various District Courts. As we are living in a post Constitutional period, the Legislative and Executive branches do not matter.
It’s that high?