Do you want the good news or the bad news, America?
Let’s start with the bad: Nearly half of all Americans don’t know what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates (namely, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence), according to a new poll from the Cato institute.
And here’s the good: A different national poll sponsored by the Denver-based Daniels Fund, NBC and More Perfect reveals that a broad consensus of Americans (80%) agree on something: The United States should place more emphasis on civic education.
Other findings in the Cato poll contain some good news, too: 86% of respondents said they are grateful to be American and 70% believe the nation’s founding principles remain relevant.
But the bad news is a majority of folks really don’t know what those founding principles are. Nearly 60% don’t know why the colonies declared independence from Great Britain, or that the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution is to limit government power.
And even though they can’t really name those principles, a majority also believes the country has strayed from those principles.
Fifty-six percent also fear the United States could cease to be a free country within the next 50 years, citing corruption and abuse of power as the primary threats. That view was shared by both a majority of both Democrats and Republicans.
And just 12% of adults nationwide said they have confidence in Congress, and only 18% said they have confidence in the federal government. Views of local government were slightly higher, but only 27% expressed confidence. The Cato poll did find that Americans believe freedom of speech is the most important founding principle – music to the ears of journalists like me.
Just more than a third of Americans expressed confidence in colleges and universities. Similarly, 30% expressed confidence in public schools, a level of confidence that has remained relatively unchanged since 2000.
But at least the Daniels and More Perfect poll shows that we agree on something in this polarized nation.
