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.
By all means, send even more money into our failed, union run publik edukashun sistem. One look at the NAEP report card site explains everything. When you have only 11% of 12th graders testing proficient in history and less than half testing at even a basic level, it is time to upend the system and give parents real choice, and the NEA real competition.
This is EXACTLY what the anti-American democrat party has strived for – eliminating “inconvenient” Constitutional knowledge, so the lemmings can be taught revisionist history.
Let’s see by a show of hands why this study is not surprising.
These American people aren’t too ignorant, many of them know where to purchase pot, alcohol, fast food, where to find the latest gossip on social media, and where to find a big screen TV.
The story makes it sound like all American people are numb above the neck.
GESH!
This is what happens when the Left takes over education.
I can name 2 1/2 of the branches
No surprise at all that conservatives are much more knowledgeable than liberals, in spite of the numerous phony left wing surveys that try to paint a false picture showing the opposite.
Chuck Schumer, the erstwhile Senator from the Soviet Socialist Republic of NY, couldn’t even answer this successfully during a TV interview back in 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eEN0sHPKGA
He authoritatively references the House, Senate, and the President!!!! Way to go Chuckles, no Supreme Court, no Judiciary. HHHmmmm, and he’s the Senate minority leader. Go figure.
During the obama admin only the executive and judicial were exercised. Worthless congress did anything he wanted.
I’m certain more students today know how to put a condom on a banana than know the three branches of government. Its sad that public education has devolved into an indoctrination incubator. By the time they reach college many are just reduced to malleable mush.
And the other 75% are Republicans.
^^^ look a supremacist.
LMAO, that would make all the leftists assassins of congressmen and police. I think that is the hardest thing for the group thinkers not to be able to accept, while they label all on the right for one, they instantly turn into hypocrites if you mention the violent criminal members and murderers on the left. I guess that is how Democrats work though, without being able to throw identity politics in one direction, they would be able to see themselves for who they truly are.
maybe you got your first post wrong… did you mean that the 1/4 that CAN identify the 3 branches are the conservatives?
LMAO, after reading it, you are correct, its been a really bad 10 days…..
it’s a really bad statistic too.
All I know is 100% of the time I am 50% right.
Thanks, public education system. You’ve done a wonderful job at creating a nation of idiots. Of course, these people were undoubtedly educated by schools about anaal (sic) sex at the age of 8, so the school systems probably consider themselves a “success” at that.
So who runs the education system of the US, that’s right the left. It was obama who clearly stated many times, that for the democrat party to be successful, it needed a constituency of under educated people that depended on the government for help in many areas.
And public schools continue to demand more money every year to educate our children. What they are really doing is filling their heads with socialist propaganda and dumbing them down. Liberal radicals have infested the education system because they cannot make it in the real world.
They
And so why do they need too?….the media does all their thinking for them. All they have to do is BELIEVE!!!
They should know because under Obama’s leadership they lost all 3 branches.
Hey, I like your handle!
we need voter ID for so many reasons.
And some of these ignorant fools vote…
God help the Republic.
This is our wonderful government schools. They would rather teach global warming.
Why would you expect liberals to name any? Democrats don’t control any.
Could it be that guys will not go to today’s colleges because they don’t want to get indoctrinated by testicle bashing women and socialist teachers? I have three degrees flew combat for the Navy, airlines after retirement. I will never recommend a guy now go to college. Get into industrial education and make more money without the PC B.S.