Annenberg Civics Knowledge Survey

The Annenberg Public Policy Center's civics survey released for Constitution Day found that Americans lack knowledge of some basic constitutional issues, a fact that was of concern to media on many sides of the political spectrum.

Many Americans are poorly informed about basic constitutional provisions, according to APPC's Constitution Day Civics Survey. It finds that 37% can’t name any of the rights under the First Amendment and only 26% can name all three branches of government.

Only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government, the poorest showing on that question in a half-dozen years, a new survey on civic knowledge has found. The GOP presidential candidate was known to only 84 percent of the public.

One American in three says that the Bill of Rights guarantees the right to own your own home, while 1 in 10 thinks that it guarantees the right to own a pet, according to an APPC national survey released for Constitution Day.

Americans show great uncertainty when it comes to answering basic questions about how their government works, a survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center has found. The survey was released for Constitution Day, Sept. 17, in conjunction with the launch of the Civics Renewal Network.

At a press conference at the National Constitution Center on Friday, September 16, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Connor will release an Annenberg Public Policy Center sponsored report titled “The Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools,” recommending actions that the federal, state, and local governments, as well as families

Many Americans Lack Basic Understanding of the Judiciary Americans consistently rank the Supreme Court as the most trusted branch of government and hold a similar level of trust in state courts. But many also believe that the nation’s courts favor the wealthy and politically connected, that judges are motivated by political and personal biases, and

Contrary to what they have been taught in civics books, over one-third of American adults thinks it is okay for the president to ignore a Supreme Court ruling if the president believes the ruling will prevent him from protecting the country against terrorist attacks, according to a recent APPC survey.