Annenberg poll: Americans are fuzzy on the building blocks of government
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More than a third of Americans can't name the three branches of government, per a new survey from UPenn's Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Why it matters: Political polarization has intensified, leaving many Americans increasingly uneasy about the future of democracy.
- A lack of basic knowledge around civics could deepen that divide.
Driving the news: The survey also found that fewer than half of participants could name each right protected by the First Amendment — a finding that has remained relatively stable over the past three years.
- The findings coincide with Thursday's Constitution Day, an occasion civic advocates are using to promote pro-democracy conversations.
How it works: The center last month polled more than 1,000 Americans who were at least 18 years old on the nuts and bolts of government, with a margin of error of ±3.5%.
Zoom in: The topics ranged from presidential vetoes to the Supreme Court's role in constitutional disputes.
- Most knew the basics: 83% correctly said Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
- 60% of participants recognized the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of whether a president's actions are constitutional.
Yes, but: Another 17% falsely believed Congress has the final say on the constitutionality of a president's actions, while 4% thought it is up to the president to decide, and 19% were unsure who makes the final call.
- Only half of Americans understood a basic principle of federalism: that powers not given to the federal government are generally reserved for the states or the people.
What they're saying: "Ignorance is costly," Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg's director emerita, said in a statement. "You can't protect and cherish rights that you don't know you have."
- The results are "alarming" since they're "just testing basic factual knowledge" about the Constitution, Julie Silverbrook, the National Constitution Center's chief content and learning officer, tells Axios.
What's ahead: The center will use the nation's 250th anniversary — and milestones over the next decade — to deepen residents' civic understanding.
- On tap for Constitution Day: a scholarly panel discussion and a new experience, "Be a Civic Hero," meant to get kids excited about learning how the government works.
The bottom line: "We're in a really interesting moment" in history, Silverbrook says. "There's no reason to disband those [250th] efforts."