Americans' civics knowledge drops on First Amendment and branches of government

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After two years of considerable improvement, Americans' knowledge of some basic facts about their government has fallen to earlier levels, with less than half of those surveyed able to name the three branches of government for the 2022 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center's annual survey showed notable increases in 2020 and 2021 after tumultuous years that put government and the three branches under a media spotlight. In those two years, the survey was run amid a pandemic and government health restrictions, two impeachment inquiries, a presidential election, an attempt to disrupt congressional certification of the electoral vote, criminal trials of individuals charged in the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and waves of social justice protests.

The 2022 survey found the first drop in six years in those who could identify all three branches of government and declines among those who could name the First Amendment rights, though knowledge remained high on some questions.

"When it comes to civics, knowledge is power," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. "It's troubling that so few know what rights we're guaranteed by the First Amendment. We are unlikely to cherish, protect, and exercise rights if we don't know that we have them."

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey is conducted annually before Constitution Day (Sept. 17) by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC). This year's nationally representative survey of 1,113 U.S. adults was conducted by phone for APPC by SSRS on August 2-13, 2022. It has a margin of error of ± 3.6 percentage points. The year-to-year changes reported here are statistically significant unless noted. See the full release and appendix for additional data.

The three branches: Less than half of U.S. adults (47%) could name all three branches of government (executive, legislative, judiciary), a significant drop from 56% in 2021 and the first decline on this question since 2016. One in 4 people (25%) could not name any, up from 20% in 2021.

The First Amendment: Fewer respondents could name any of the five freedoms under the First Amendment – responses declined for all since 2021:

• Freedom of speech was named by 63%, down from 74%
• Freedom of religion was named by 24%, down from 56%
• Freedom of the press was named by 20%, down from 50%
• Right of assembly was named by 16%, down from 30%
• Right to petition the government was named by 6%, down from 20%
• And 26% said "can't name any" or "don't know," up from 17%

Facebook and the First Amendment: Over half of Americans (51%) continue to assert incorrectly that Facebook is required to let all Americans express themselves freely on its platform under the First Amendment.

Large numbers recognize other rights in the Bill of Rights and the veto process.

Owning a handgun: 82% know that the Supreme Court has held that a citizen has a constitutional right to own a handgun.

Search and seizure: 78% know it is accurate to say that protection from "unreasonable searches and seizures" is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

Religion: 76% know that under the Constitution, Congress cannot establish an official religion of the United States, and 88% know that U.S. citizens who are atheists have the same rights as other citizens.

Undocumented immigrants: 57% know it's inaccurate to say that those who are in the United States illegally "do not have any rights" under the Constitution. But 40% think, incorrectly, that this is true. Those rights include education: The equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment has been applied by courts to say that undocumented children cannot be denied an education.

An analysis found that taking a high school civics class is associated with giving correct answers to civics knowledge questions. In 2022, 65% of the survey 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 activities to enhance civics education include Annenberg Classroom, which offers free resources for teaching the Constitution, and the Civics Renewal Network, a coalition of 39 nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations seeking to improve 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. Find @APPCPenn on Twitter and Facebook.

Contact: Michael Rozansky | [email protected] | 215.746.0202

SOURCE The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania