In a survey released by the National Constitution Center, evidence of a lack of constitutional knowledge is quite apparent. More students have greater knowledge of pop culture versus the United States Constitution. Six-hundred students responded to the survey.
Key findings from the survey include:
• 25.5% of respondents know that Philadelphia is the city where the Constitution was written compared to 75.2% who know what city the zip code 90210 is attributed to.
• 21.2% of respondents know how many senators served in the U.S. Senate compared to 81.2% who know how many members there are in the music group “Hanson.”
• 35.5% of respondents know the first three words of the Constitution compared to 71.2% who know that www is the first three letters of most Web site addresses.
• 1.8% of respondents know that James Madison is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution compared to 58.3% who know that Bill Gates is the father of Microsoft.
• 25% of respondents know that the Fifth Amendment protects against double jeopardy/self incrimination/right to a grand jury/due process/compensation for private property taken for public use compared to 63.7% who know that “The Club” protects against car theft.
• 41.2% of respondents know the names of the three branches of government compared to 59.2% who know the names of the three stooges.
The Constitution of the United States
I try, I try. *sigh* but the Constitution just isn't as glamorous as Paris Hilton.
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