Many don't know key facts about U.S. Constitution, Annenberg study finds

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Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Sep 14, 2023, 08:30 ET

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Many Americans do not know what rights are protected under the First Amendment and a substantial number cannot name all three branches of government, according to the 2023 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center's annual, nationally representative survey finds that when U.S. adults are asked to name the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, only one right is recalled by most of the respondents: Freedom of speech, which 77% named.

Knowledge of the First Amendment. Source: Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey of 1,482 U.S. adults, from the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

The civics knowledge survey, released annually to celebrate Constitution Day (Sept. 17), also finds that although two-thirds of Americans (66%) can name all three branches of government, 10% can name two, 7% can name only one, and 17% cannot name any.

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey was fielded in a year of high-profile events that propelled the workings of government into the daily news cycle, which included four criminal indictments of former President Donald Trump; trials for those charged in the 2021 assault on the Capitol; Supreme Court rulings that sidelined race-conscious college admissions programs and a Biden Administration student-loan forgiveness plan; several justices being dogged by allegations of unethical conduct; the collapse of a plea deal to resolve a gun charge and tax offenses by President Joe Biden's son Hunter; and discussions by House Republicans whether to open impeachment proceedings against Biden.

"It is worrisome that one in six U.S. adults cannot name any of the branches of government and that only 1 in 20 can name all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and director of the survey. "One is unlikely to cherish or work to protect freedoms one does not know one has and will have trouble holding elected and unelected leaders accountable if one does not understand the nature and prerogatives of each branch and the ways in which the power of each is kept in check."

How the survey is conducted – and what is different this year

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey is a nationally representative survey conducted annually in advance of Constitution Day by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. This year's survey of 1,482 U.S. adults was conducted for APPC by independent research company SSRS from August 9-15, 2023. It has a margin of error of ± 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

For the first time, the annual civics survey presented this year was conducted online rather than by telephone. The online survey, conducted as part of a wave of our Annenberg Science and Public Health knowledge study, was self-administered, meaning that respondents completed it without an interviewer's assistance. In 2022, we conducted two versions of our survey: one over the phone and one online. There we found – as have other survey researchers who have made changes in mode – differences in some responses between phone and online respondents. Beginning this year, we are conducting the Constitution Day survey online only and therefore cannot fairly compare knowledge levels from this year to those gathered by phone in prior years.

The survey was conducted under the supervision of Ken Winneg, Ph.D., APPC's managing director of survey research, with analysis by APPC research analyst Shawn Patterson Jr., Ph.D. See the full news release, the topline data, and a white paper on mode effects.

Highlights

The three branches: 66% of U.S. adults could name all three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – while 10% could name two, 7% could name only one, and 17% could not name any branches.

The First Amendment: When respondents are asked to name the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, the only widely known right is freedom of speech:

Three-quarters (77%) name freedom of speech.
Under half (40%) name freedom of religion.
A third (33%) name the right to assembly.
Just over a quarter (28%) name freedom of the press.
Less than 1 in 10 (9%) name the right to petition the government.

Only 5% of U.S. adults correctly name all five First Amendment rights. Thirty percent could name three or four, 46% could name one or two, and 20% could not correctly name any First Amendment rights.

Freedom of speech and Facebook: Over half (53%) incorrectly think it is accurate to say that the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech means that Facebook must permit all Americans to freely express themselves on Facebook pages.

The Supreme Court: Over half of those surveyed (51%) disapprove of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job; 49% approve.

Civics education and Constitution Day

An analysis found that reporting having taken a high school civics class continues to be associated with providing correct answers to civics knowledge questions. In 2023, 59% of respondents with at least some high school education said they had taken a civics course in high school that focused on the Constitution or judicial system.

APPC's initiatives to enhance civics education include Annenberg Classroom, which offers free resources to teach the Constitution, and the Civics Renewal Network, 43 nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving civics education by providing free, high-quality resources for teachers.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policy makers about communication's role in advancing public understanding of political, science, and health issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

Contact: Michael Rozansky | [email protected] | 215.746.0202

SOURCE Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania