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.
Good article, but the First Amendment does not “endow us with Rights” rather protects our rights from government intervention/ control. The fact is, most people don’t know their “rights” and feel that government is our friend who gives them to us.
Sure I can name them: The House, The Senate, and the President…
-Senator Chuck Schumer of NY
Right….
Illegal aliens (foreigners invading the U.S.A.), don’t have constitutional rights, they aren’t citizens. Sadly, we’ve been forced to open up the 5th amendment, because there are so many criminal illegal aliens. The fact not every American knows the 3 branches of government, is abhorrent!
In other news, liberals have been in control of education for over 20 years now
No doubt Hussein Obuckethead hasn’t a clue what the three branches are, nor would he care! All Obama needed was his pen and phone to justify legislation!
Taking a knee must be more important?
Three branches of government:
1) Welfare office
2) Unemployment office
3)
I can only think of two.
Maybe the third is the police. That is where they take the money back.
The ignorance of the average American is incredible. What are kids learning in school?
I’m guessing most people who know one or more of the provisions in the First Amendment don’t understand that I can tell them to shut the **** up and not be infringing upon their First Amendment rights. “Congress shall make no law” doesn’t apply to me as an individual.
More proof IQ tests be given before someone is allowed to vote or run for public office.
$
consider that media matters remains tax exempt because they are an educational service for voters.
how are they still tax exempt?
And these idiots are allowed to vote.
the fact is they haven’t taught civics in schools in at least 25 years…and this is the end result. a bunch of antifa idiots praising chairman mao and not understanding how the gov’t actually functions. trump isn’t a dictator you pathetic morons…if he was, most of you idiots would already be rounded up.
That’s because they have changed. What used to be the Executive writes laws, until recently at an alarming rate. The Supreme Court is the littlest legislature, they write laws, too. The Legislative seems to preen and strut, but don’t appear to serve any useful function, the appendix of government, so to speak. Except that the appendix is thought to store gut flora, so the Legislature is perhaps less useful than the appendix.
My 11 year old can answer this. Are you educating your kids or leaving it to the schools? Table talk at dinner is a good thing.
People should have to pass a civics test to vote. And maybe through in an intelligence test as well.
definitely civics. a test should be given upon voter registration with the basics of our republic. if a citizen can’t pass it because they are that indifferent or that stupid, they should be denied franchise.
I guess we can chalk this up to UNION teachers and liberal indoctrination. This also has led to young people being afraid of WORDS, and needing a safe space, away from the real world. Any other reasons not to STOP liberal indoctrination as bad for our country?
the TRULY scary part? They can reproduce.