Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
If there is any presidential speech that has captured a place in popular culture, it is the Gettysburg Address, seemingly recited by school children for decades. The truth is, however, Lincoln’s most memorable words are now remembered by very few.
Of the 2,508 Americans taking ISI’s civic literacy test, 71% fail. Nationwide, the average score on the test is only 49%. The vast majority cannot recognize the language of Lincoln’s famous speech.
The test contains 33 questions designed to measure knowledge of America’s founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy.
While the questions vary in difficulty, most test basic knowledge. Six are borrowed from U.S. government naturalization exams that test knowledge expected of all new American citizens. Nine are taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests that the U.S. Department of Education uses to assess high school seniors. Three are drawn from an “American History 101” exam posted online by
www.InfoPlease.com. Two were developed especially for this survey and the rest were drawn from ISI’s previous civic literacy tests.
The results reveal that Americans are alarmingly uninformed about our Constitution, the basic functions of our government, the key texts of our national history, and economic principles.
Americans from all age groups, income brackets, and political ideologies fail the test of civic literacy.
-Americans age 25 to 34 score an average of 46% on the exam; Americans age 65 and over score 46%.
-Americans earning an annual income between $30,000 and $50,000 score an average of 46%; Americans earning over $100,000 score 55%.
-Liberals score an average of 49%; conservatives score 48%.
-Americans who go to church once a week score an average of 48%; Americans who never go to church score 50%.
US Civics Quiz
Originally Posted by Civil Literacy Report
Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
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