What many Americans don’t know about their government and Constitution is of great concern to many people.
The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in advance of Constitution Day (Sept. 17), found that Americans lack knowledge of some fundamental constitutional provisions. And that fact struck a chord among national and local new media, editorial writers and columnists on many sides of the political spectrum.
[There are more up-to-date findings from this annual survey. See this page for the most recent findings.]
APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson appeared on radio shows to discuss the survey’s findings and implications. Listen to clips from KQED (Northern California) and 790 KABC (Los Angeles) below:
“U.S. Constitution 101: Your Questions Answered” (KQED Forum, September 14, 2017)
“Civics Anyone?” (McIntyre in the Morning, 790 KABC, September 14, 2017)
The survey was also discussed by Rush Limbaugh on his show on September 15. Read the transcript here, or listen below:
“Listen Carefully to the Smartest Woman in the World” (The Rush Limbaugh Show, September 15, 2017)
CBS Philly did a segment on the civics survey on September 26. In addition, a clip summarizing the survey’s findings was featured on a number of CBS News Radio stations. Listen to the segment below:
Among the news accounts, columns and editorial referencing the study are these:
- CivicCon: Bob Graham urges action to save our democracy (Pensacola News Journal, January 16, 2018)
- Opinion: On civic ignorance (The Michigan Daily, January 16, 2018)
- Ohio State Bar Foundation announces strategic grant program (Ohio State Bar Foundation, January 9, 2018)
- Opinion: How did America descend to this? (Noozhawk, January 7, 2018)
- Opinion: For those who think their vote won’t count, don’t ask Simonds or Yancey (The Telegraph (Macon, GA), January 6, 2018)
- America’s problem is that the elites failed their country (The Dallas Morning News, January 2, 2018)
- Op-ed: The perplexing problem of voter turnout (Deseret News, December 26, 2017)
- Top talkers of 2017: Civics survey (CBS Philly, December 26, 2017)
- Gift of civics education (The Scranton Times-Tribune, December 25, 2017)
- Opinion: To drain the swamp, teach civics (Times Free Press (Chattanooga, TN), December 24, 2017)
- The lazy person’s guide to being a good citizen (The Spectrum (St. George, UT), December 21, 2017)
- Opinion: We urgently need civics education (Newsday, December 21, 2017)
- Opinion: Democracy of liberty, laws need protection (Daily Reporter (Greenfield, IN), December 18, 2017)
- The end of free speech (Reason.com, December 11, 2017)
- Move to require students to take citizenship test heading toward Senate vote (The Daily Item (Sunbury, PA), December 8, 2017)
- Proposed Senate bill would require PA students to pass civics test (Herald-Standard (Uniontown, PA), December 3, 2017)
- Opinion: Information rich and knowledge poor (Idaho State Journal, December 3, 2017)
- Opinion: The crisis in American civics isn’t only in classrooms (The Cap Times (Madison, WI), November 28, 2017)
- Opinion: The role of public schools (The Joplin Globe (MO), November 19, 2017)
- Editorial: Well-educated citizenship key to our union (Omaha World-Herald, November 15, 2017)
- Marshals Museum task? Create civic literacy. (Arkansas Business, November 13, 2017)
- Opinion: Incremental learning allows context, experience to have lasting impact (The Southwest Times Record (Fort Smith, AR), November 12, 2017)
- Gaslighting 2: Revenge of the reality-based community (Teen Vogue, November 9, 2017)
- Polls reveal public’s shrinking support for First Amendment rights (American Booksellers Association, November 8, 2017)
- Opinion: Civics education in schools needs reboot (The Columbus Dispatch, November 7, 2017)
- Opinion: Improving our civic knowledge (The Brown Daily Herald, November 6, 2017)
- Democracy on life support: Donald Trump’s first year in office (The Conversation, November 5, 2017)
- Debate continues over whether schools turn out good citizens (Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, PA), November 5, 2017)
- Opinion: We’ve failed at civic education (Indianapolis Star, November 2, 2017)
- They can vote, but do 18-year-olds have any idea how government works? (Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, PA), October 31, 2017)
- Civics is making a comeback… with youths, at least (The Seattle Times, October 29, 2017)
- Indiana experts weight in: Though brief, First Amendment poses complexities (News and Tribune (IN), October 28, 2017)
- Opinion: 1st Amendment is under assault (Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS), October 27, 2017)
- Editorial: UM Journalism School should welcome controversial lecturer (Missoulian, October 25, 2017)
- The corrosion of support for First Amendment principles started before Trump. He’s supercharged it. (The Washington Post, October 23, 2017)
- Opinion: Rhode Island must do more to bolster civics education (The Jamestown Press (RI), October 12, 2017)
- Op-ed: The reason millennials have less regard for ‘free speech’ is your fault (The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), October 11, 2017)
- Civics education shouldn’t put students to sleep (Education Week, October 10, 2017)
- In our view: Embrace civics lessons (The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), October 5, 2017)
- Gov. Jeb Bush discusses the state of education in America at National Constitution Center (National Constitution Center, October 2, 2017)
- Opinion: Nation needs First Amendment refresher course (Providence Journal, )
- Dumb it down, Democrats — or prepare to lose again (Salon, )
- Have Americans given up on First Amendment? (Indianapolis Star, )
- Worrying about football and the flag misses the point of actually being better Americans (The Fresno Bee, )
- A new example of how little Americans know about their own country (The Washington Post, )
- Survey: More than half of Americans unaware illegal immigrants have rights (CBS Philly, )
- Survey: Only 1 in 4 Americans can name the 3 branches of government (Breitbart, )
- Canadians need a civics education refresher (Troy Media, )
- Opinion: Americans ignorant of Constitution’s most basic tenets (Kokomo Tribune, )
- Here’s how many Americans know the three branches of government (KGW.com, )
- Survey: Just a quarter of Americans can name all 3 branches of government (StudyFinds, )
- These provocative posters will make you think differently about ‘We the People’ (PBS NewsHour Online, )
- Column: Students like free speech as long as they like the speech (Chicago Tribune, )
- Editorial: Clueless on the Constitution (Providence Journal, )
- Editorial: Be thankful for protections in Constitution (Canton Repository, )
- Muslim citizens are protected by the Constitution, yet an alarming number of Americans disagree (Bustle, )
- Opinion: Ignorant nation (Townhall, )
- A scary number of Americans don’t think Muslims or atheists have Constitutional rights (The Huffington Post, )
- Opinion: What happened to civic education? (The News-Herald (OH), )
- Under Trump, most Americans lack basic knowledge to understand current events, study finds (Newsweek, )
- Foundling Fathers: A celebration of Constitution Day (New York Daily News, )
- Hoppy Kercheval: How we are failing the Founders (West Virginia MetroNews, )
- How many Americans can’t name a single First Amendment freedom? (The Daily Wire, )
- Editorial: Constitutional ignorance threatens our freedoms (The News & Advance (Lynchburg, VA), )
- Constitution Day: Know your rights or risk losing them (Syracuse.com, )
- Editorial: Make better Americans (Suffolk News-Herald (VA), )
- U.S. Constitution highlighted in Albany exhibit (WNYT, )
- Many Americans say atheists don’t have the same rights as other citizens (Patheos, )
- Editorial: Ignorance grows (The Scranton Times-Tribune, )
- Editorial: Know your constitution (Adirondack Daily Enterprise, )
- Editorial: Are we too ignorant to save our Constitutional Republic? (Investor’s Business Daily, )
- Editorial: How can know-nothing nation guard its laws, traditions? (MassLive.com, )
- Yes, undocumented students have rights under the U.S. Constitution — but new poll shows that most Americans don’t know that (The 74 Million, )
- Some Americans don’t believe Muslims, atheists have First Amendment rights (Religion News Service, )
- We don’t need no education – Americans fail on Constitution facts (The Huffington Post, )
- New survey shows a disturbing trend: Most Americans have no clue what is in the Constitution (Daily Kos, )
- Fact check: Do illegal immigrants have no rights under the Constitution? (The Daily Caller, )
- A new poll shows that nearly 4 in 10 Americans can’t name a single First Amendment right (Independent Journal Review, )
- Public ignorance about the Constitution (The Washington Post, )
- Editorial: The right – and wrong – in what Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said (Richmond Times-Dispatch, )
- Just 14% of Americans name freedom of press as a right guaranteed by First Amendment (American Press Institute, )
- Poll: Almost 4 out of 10 Americans cannot name a single right under the First Amendment (Jonathan Turley, )
- Constitution Day: We the people still don’t know much about the Constitution (Education Week, )
- Survey finds most Americans aren’t aware of how the government works (FOX News Radio, )
- 5 things to know about the Constitution (ASU Now (Arizona State University), )
- U.S. Constitution 101: Your questions answered (KQED, )
- ‘What’s in First Amendment’ among questions that stump Americans (Belleview News-Democrat, )
- Educators need to make Constitution, Bill Of Rights a priority (The Post-Journal (Jamestown, NY), )
- The scariest stat you’ll see all day (FOX News, )
- Poll: Nearly 4 in 10 can’t name any First Amendment rights (CBS Philly, )
- Americans know literally nothing about the Constitution (CNN, )
- 37 percent of Americans can’t name any of the rights guaranteed by First Amendment: Survey (The Washington Times, )
- Survey: Can you answer this basic civics question that stumps most Americans? (The Blaze, )
- Opinion: Understanding foundations of government (News Tribune (Jefferson City, MO), )
- An ignorant America endangers democracy (WHYY.org, )
- 37 percent of Americans don’t know what the First Amendment does (Death and Taxes, )
- Burn it all down: Just 26% of Americans can name the three branches of government (HotAir.com, )
- New survey: Only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government (Mediaite, )
- Survey reveals many Americans aren’t clear on what’s in the First Amendment (AOL News, )
- Americans don’t know their First Amendment rights (Townhall, )
- Civics on the decline (State Legislatures Magazine, )
- Americans are constitutionally illiterate (Minnesota Public Radio, )
- Axios AM: What we don’t know (Axios, )
