Most U.S. adults support reforms to Supreme Court while basic civic knowledge is staggering, survey suggests
An annual survey from the Annenburg Public Policy Center found that roughly 50 percent of U.S. adults know which party controls the House or Senate; 65 percent were ably to name each branch of government.
77 percent of U.S. Adults support Supreme Court reforms, with Republicans being less likely to support the measure and Democrats and Independents being more likely.
A recent survey from the Annenburg Public Policy Center shows that roughly one-third of adult Americans are unable to name the three branches of the federal government.
The survey, released annually since 2014, asked nearly 1,600 adults in the United States questions about about basic civics, finding that despite adult knowledge being limited, there is strong public support for reforms, including those that affect the U.S. Supreme Court.
The survey shows that roughly 50 percent of adults know which party has a majority control of the Senate andd the House of Representatives. Additionally, only 65 percent of U.S. adults were able to name each of the three branches of the government.
When asked about the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, 74 percent of adult respondents were able to list freedom of speech as being one of the rights. However, four other rights guaranteed under the First Amendment, including freedom of religion, was only listed by 39 percent of the respondents.
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Less than a third of Adult Americans listed freedom of the press as being a right under the First Amendment, 27 percent stated the right to assembly, and only 11 percent stated the right to petition the government.
In addition to knowledge about the First Amendment, 73 percent of U.S. adults were able to identify that a decision is law following after a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. 13 percent stated that after a 5-4 decision, it is sent back to Congress for approval, as well as 13 percent saying the decision then goes to the federal court of appeals.
77 percent of the respondents also stated their support for the creation of a code of ethics for the Supreme Court, and 69 percent were in favor of age-based term limits for Supreme Court justices. 29 percent suppoorted packing the court beyond the current nine justices who sit on the court now.
The report found that answers relating to Supreme Court reforms varied between identified Semocrats and Republicans. Republicans who are most knowledgeable about the court don’t want court reforms, while knowledgeable Democrats and independents are more likely to support court reforms.
The Annenburg Constitution Day Civics Survey has a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of 3.3 percent.
