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View Full Version : Survey shows gaps in Americans' basic civics knowledge



Teh One Who Knocks
05-03-2019, 11:17 AM
By Jacqueline Thomsen - The Hill


https://i.imgur.com/Mab6s3r.jpg

There are some holes in Americans’ general knowledge of the Constitution, U.S. history and government, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The American Bar Association (ABA) found in its first annual Survey of Civic Literacy that 49 percent of the respondents knew that John Roberts was the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Twenty-three percent believed that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg held that role, while another 16 percent thought it belonged to Justice Clarence Thomas.

The survey also found that less than half – 44 percent – knew that the right to burn the U.S. flag in protest is protected under the First Amendment.

And 38 percent knew that the Constitution, along with federal laws and treaties, was the ultimate law in the U.S.

A majority of respondents gave accurate responses when it came to more well-established civics knowledge: For example, 89 percent knew that “We the People” were the first three words of the Constitution.

Seventy-eight percent also knew that the phrase “rule of law” meant that no one is above the law, and 93 percent knew that the Senate and House made up the two chambers of Congress.

The questions were pulled from the pool of 100 potential questions asked of individuals seeking U.S. citizenship. Only five percent of the respondents answered all of the questions presented to them correctly, according to ABA. Citizenship applicants must respond correctly to 6 out of 10 questions asked of them.

The survey also found that the respondents generally said they support the rights protected under the First Amendment. Sixty percent of the respondents said they “strongly agree” that people should be able to criticize leaders in government, including the president.

And 61 percent strongly disagreed that the government should be able to stop the press from covering political protests.

ABA surveyed 1,000 adults using phone and online interviews. The survey has a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.

DemonGeminiX
05-03-2019, 11:27 AM
That's sad. I'd like to see the pool of questions from the survey.

Teh One Who Knocks
05-03-2019, 11:31 AM
That's sad. I'd like to see the pool of questions from the survey.

I'm assuming they pulled random questions from the test, just like they do for the people applying for citizenship.

US Citizenship Test Questions (w/answers){PDF} (https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Office%20of%20Citizenship/Citizenship%20Resource%20Center%20Site/Publications/100q.pdf)

DemonGeminiX
05-03-2019, 11:43 AM
Easy enough.

Hal-9000
05-03-2019, 04:40 PM
"The American Bar Association (ABA) found in its first annual Survey of Civic Literacy that 49 percent of the respondents knew that John Roberts was the chief justice of the Supreme Court."

Facts like this seem less important than actual laws and rights. I'm an observer from outside. Evidence from the past has shown that Americans in general are weak on their own geography and history.

This is about home grown civics though so why not focus less on phrases like 'rule of law' and correct the school curriculum to educate students about the Constitution and what their actual rights are when dealing with law enforcement, lawyers and politicians?

It's such a sensitive time in your country, it seems like this kind of education is needed and could go a long way to stopping potential disputes.

Teh One Who Knocks
05-03-2019, 04:48 PM
Those are just some of the random questions from the list of 100 potential questions. And while I agree that some of them are a bit on the obscure side, those are questions that people born and raised in this country should actually know.

As for someone applying for citizenship, I really don't think they need to know who the Chief Justice is on the Supreme Court.

Hal-9000
05-03-2019, 05:18 PM
Those are just some of the random questions from the list of 100 potential questions. And while I agree that some of them are a bit on the obscure side, those are questions that people born and raised in this country should actually know.

As for someone applying for citizenship, I really don't think they need to know who the Chief Justice is on the Supreme Court.

Yeah that's what I was getting at. Obscure or useless facts really help no one but knowing your rights let's say when getting pulled over can :thumbsup: