Majority of Americans don't know most First Amendment rights, survey finds
FILE - The Preamble to the US Constitution. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - A majority of Americans cannot name most of the rights protected under the First Amendment, and one-third can’t name the three branches of government, according to a new survey.
The recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, released annually to honor Constitution Day on Sept. 17, found that most Americans could name only a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment: freedom of speech.
The survey was conducted in May with about 1,600 U.S. adults. A little over half of Americans know which parties currently control the House of Representatives and the Senate, it found.
The survey also suggested there’s strong public support for several potential reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court, including term limits, mandatory retirement ages, and prohibiting justices from participating in cases in which they have "personal or financial interests."
"Civics knowledge matters," Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement.
"Those who do not understand the rights protected by the Constitution can neither cherish nor invoke them; those who do not know which party controls the House and Senate may misattribute credit or blame for action or inaction," Jamieson added.
What are the five freedoms of the First Amendment?
Survey respondents were asked if they could name the specific rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – which are some of our most cherished rights as American citizens.
Among those who answered, 74% could name freedom of speech.
Under 4 in 10 (39%) said freedom of religion, and less than a third (29%) said freedom of the press.
Over a quarter (27%) of those surveyed could name the right to assembly, and about 1 in 10 (11%) said the right to petition the government.
A third of Americans cannot name all 3 branches of government
The U.S. Constitution divides the federal government into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial – in an effort to prevent any individual or group from having too much power.
The legislative branch is made up of Congress, the Senate and House of Representatives, and special agencies and offices that provide support services to lawmakers.
The executive branch includes the president, the vice president, and cabinet members who serve as advisors to the president – such as the heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials.
The judicial branch, tasked with evaluating laws, includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
In the Annenberg Public Policy Center survey, 35% of Americans couldn’t name all three branches of government. Some 13% could name two branches, 8% could name only one, and 15% of those surveyed couldn’t name any – a figure that was unchanged from 2023.
Which party controls the House, Senate?
In the survey, 55% knew that Democrats narrowly control the Senate. Another 22% answered incorrectly, and another 22% were unsure.
While 56% knew that Republicans control the House of Representatives, some 20% answered incorrectly, and 22% were unsure, according to the survey.
Growing push for civics education in school
Over the past few years, a small but growing number of states have begun requiring students at publicly-funded colleges to complete a civics requirement. That comes as polling indicates civics education is wildly popular across the political spectrum.
Civics — the study of citizens’ rights and responsibilities — fosters a sense of unity, according to advocates, and also helps give one the ability to deal with disagreement. It empowers citizens, and many people believe it could help heal America’s divides. Having it in higher education means they can look at issues in more sophisticated ways, perhaps weaving it into other classes.
The CivXNow Coalition, a civics education advocacy group, reported in 2022 that 38 states required a stand-alone civics course to graduate high school and only seven states required civics in middle school.
Test scores in history and civics both slightly declined for eighth grade students in the U.S., according to results released in May 2023 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
The Source
This story was reported based on information shared by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 12, 2024. The Associated Press contributed, and it was reported from Cincinnati.