Newsweek: Americans largely unaware of basic civics

By Catholic Online
3/23/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

38 percent of 1,000 pollsters fail citizenship test

Newsweek magazine recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America's official citizenship test, and the results were grim. At least 29 percent couldn't name the vice president, 73 percent couldn't correctly say why we fought the Cold War, 44 percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights and 6 percent couldn't even circle Independence Day on a calendar.

The world is rapidly changing, and those who plead ignorance of their own individual rights face dire consequences.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Americans have long misunderstood checks and balances and have consistently misidentified their senators. According to a study by Michael X. Delli Carpini, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication, the annual shifts in civic knowledge since World War II have averaged out to "slightly under one percent."

The world is rapidly changing, and those who plead ignorance of their own individual rights face dire consequences. The European Journal of Communication polled citizens of Britain, Denmark, Finland and the U.S. to answer questions on international affairs. Sixty-eight percent of Danes, 75 percent of Brits, and 76 percent of Finns could, for example, identify the Taliban, but only 58 percent of Americans managed to do the same, even though we've led the charge in Afghanistan.

U.S. government is relatively complex in contrast to European parliamentary systems. In many European countries, parliaments have proportional representation, and the majority party rules without having to "share power with a lot of sub-national governments," notes Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker, coauthor of Winner-Take-All Politics.

In comparison, we're saddled with a non-proportional Senate; a tangle of state, local, and federal bureaucracies; and near-constant elections for every imaginable office (judge, sheriff, school-board member, and so on).

"Nobody is competent to understand it all, which you realize every time you vote," Michael Schudson, author of "The Good Citizen" says. "You know you're going to come up short, and that discourages you from learning more."

Newsweek magazine encapsulates the issue thusly: "For more than two centuries, Americans have gotten away with not knowing much about the world around them. But times have changed -- and they've changed in ways that make civic ignorance a big problem going forward.

"While isolationism is fine in an isolated society, we can no longer afford to mind our own business. What happens in China and India (or at a Japanese nuclear plant) affects the autoworker in Detroit; what happens in the statehouse and the White House affects the competition in China and India. Before the Internet, brawn was enough; now the information economy demands brains instead. And where we once relied on political institutions (like organized labor) to school the middle classes and give them leverage, we now have nothing."

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: America, civics, ignorance

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1 - 10 of 15 Comments

vance
2 years ago
Everett, I'm not sure what Catholic School you sent your kids to but the statistics are out there bold and clear that the average Catholic School student performs above grade level while the average Public School student performs below grade level. This has been the case for decades. This is nothing new. When my daughter graduated from Catholic High School, 90% of her class went on to college. We also attended a co-worker's daughter's Public School graduation and it was the opposite situation. 90% were Not going to college while his daughter was among the 10% who did attend college. The Public Schools are overly concerned with "Social Studies" and 'Culture' that they forget about reading and math. This comes from the Liberal/Marxist mentality to program Blacks and Hispanics "Democrat Good, Republican Bad". Something out of Orwell's 'Animal Farm'.
Pete Brady
2 years ago
Rob: your protest on the lack of "parental" involvement in their children's education has some merit. However, the state of education today does bear the mark of, and is the direct result, of the "liberal" movement. I cannot reiterate it enough, and I am taking the short path without making all the connections, but if you really want to turn this thing around the END the FED!
Rob
2 years ago
In my experience, ignorant and dumb people do not vote. The last general election had about a 60% turnout rate. But honestly, I don't think what teachers get paid or not paid has had one thing to do with the the state of education today. Today we want our teachers to basically be the parents. Unlike 20 years and prior, kids went to school solely to learn and the teachers were just expected to teach. But a lot has changed in the past 20 years in regards to the family. The family over all just isn't important and that has a direct impact on a kid's ability to learn. And given my volunteer work, this has nothing to do with being left or right or poor or wealthly. Folks don't care about their kids education the kids won't learn. This is a growing segment of our population that a left or right label does nothing to change. They aren't either. And they aren't engaged in any sort of politics. They could care less, either way.
Pete Brady
2 years ago
Rob: Not sure I'd agree with your speculation as to those who go to "mass (I'd capitalize Mass) every Sunday and know absolutely nothing about their faith." It seems to me that those who "faithfully" go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days are far more likely to know their faith than those who go pretty much only at Christmas and Easter. Where I would agree with you is for those who approach Communion unmindful, forgetful, or unknowledgeable of the fact that the "Host" IS the "body, blood, soul, and divinity" of Jesus Christ, that He is really, truly present - the "real presence" - in the Holy Eucharist.
everett mann
2 years ago
Does Congress still read the Constitution? Or did they get to the part that they did not like and stop never to begin again?

Public schools a recipe for failure?? Really?? I just removed my son from his Catholic school because he was not being taught what they are teaching in public schools. He was two-to-three months behind in nearly every subject except math where he was about three weeks ahead (no thanks to the Catholic school but to that I work with him). Furthermore, he will have opportunity to complete a couple years of college before he actually graduates from HS; the Catholic Schools cannot give him this.

As far as civic lessons, everybody can use a little refresher. Everybody should read the Federalist Papers and the Anti Federalist papers. Then maybe they would get a better understanding.
Rob
2 years ago
It's hard to argue with the premise of the article, but vance, as ususal, you just aren't considering the full picture. My family and I do a lot of volunteer work at the high school that is in our neighborhood. And universally every teacher will lament the fact that kid's families just aren't engaged. There is a direct correlation between the level of family involvment and the success of the kids. And this affects all income strata and all races. My kids are graduating from high school this year. And quite honestly, I've not seen this liberalism that everyone cries about. It's the same stuff that I learned in high school, you know the basics. My daughter's civics class taught her all of the things that the articles says folks don't know. I agree with the poster who said we take one incident and make broad strokes. Have their been nut job teachers who try to sneak in non-sense, of course. But that doesn't mean the whole system is bad. The teachers we work with work their tails off for really low pay and absolutely no gratitude. As for adults who don't know basic civics, this is no different than adults who go to mass every Sunday and know absolutely nothing about their faith. You will maintain a knowledge base for those things you feel are important. And these days seeing how ineffective the government is, I don't blame people for not caring. Our government has basically become a vehicle for special interest. Who ever has the most money call the agenda and right and left issues, those are just things for we common folk to squabble about, you know keep us busy while we get robbed blind.
Nino Baldino
2 years ago
Yes Vance,right on the ole noggin..I have a copy of an article published back in 1954 in which the author lists the security risks then eating away at the very foundations of our republic!..he and so many of us took it on the chin as extremists right wing kooks etc..but in 1995 the Verona Documents were released...the official files of the KGB and guess what...the Hiss,Hopkins,Latimores,all who were listed back in the 1954 article were traitors after all..and the first name John Abt..he it was who a fellow by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald,,asked for to represent him...and so it goes.send your kids to catholic school or home school!.....
Nino Baldino
2 years ago
.an ignorant society is an enslaved society.When children in public schools are not given coreect info on American history and the consequences of too much government influence in ones lives..that society is doomed!.The establishment has us just where they want us...a fat over spoiled group that believes all of the nonsense it sees on the boob tube. .the impression is given that oil prices at the pump go up at a moments notice...nonsense! First the sludge must be sent to a refinary plant and divided..asphalt,kersonene,fuel, etc etc..then it is stored ..we are being robbed when some trouble happens in one part of the world and within hours the local gas stations jack up the price of gas.But as long as the public cant use critical reasoning it will remain as conditioned as Pavlovs mutts............
vance
2 years ago
This article is another testimony for ending the Punlic School Monopoly on Education. This nation must start a complete voucher system, do away with Teacher Unions, and facilitate more home schooling for those who want to educate their own children. Public School is simply guaranteed FAILURE and illiteracy. Catholic and other private schools have demonstrated over and over again what works for educating our children. It is time to act now.
robert burford
2 years ago
We are a society of 30 second sound bites. Campaign ads for Republican, Democrats and Tea Party all wrap themselves in the Flag and so skew an issue that the truth is somehow lost on slogans and a team mentality that if you are not part of our group you are not one of " us".???
Who pays for these advertisements? Lobbyist and their foundations. You have to follow the money.
The important point is that some people will base their opinions on these sound bites and not look at an issue. Someone who does not look at history or follow the money or read Exodus 20 will vote based on them or like most young people be confused and not vote because they do not think they can make a difference.
The fifth amendment would probably not allow forcing adults to vote and become versed on an issue, but as Catholics who set the moral standard for all Christians it should be our moral duty to know how the system works legislative, executive and judicial.It is also important to know who pays for the country club dinners and trips to far off countries on fact finding trips and how they influence voting by elected official. Abortion may be legal but it is not right. Immigrant might be illegal but are they human beings.Instead of wrapping ourselves in a Flag which is not bad, we should first wrap ourselves in the Bible. Our self education as a civic and moral duty should rest on what God would do. This should be our goal and let God direct how we should get involved and why we should be eager to vote as a moral obligation and not have government mandate it. It should also be the reason why we have a moral obligation to know how our system works try to do what God wants.

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