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March 1, 2006
More People Know American Idol Judges than the First Amendment
A new survey by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum suggests that more Americans are able to identify the judges on American Idol than remember the five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Only about one in four Americans (28 percent) was able to name more than one of the five fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. Meanwhile, more than four in 10 Americans (41 percent) could name two of the three Idol judges and one in four could name all three. "Unfortunately," they noted, "just 8 percent of Americans could name at least three of their First Amendment freedoms."
(Before you read any further, test yourself and see how many you can remember. I nailed all five - guess I can thank Mr. Deppner's American History class for that.)
Which one is more familiar to you?
Most people - more than two out of three in the survey - were able to remember that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. But it's all downhill from there, as respondents struggled to remember the other freedoms. Here are the percentages of respondents who remembered each freedom:
- Freedom of Speech (69 percent)
- Freedom of Religion (24 percent)
- Freedom of the Press (11 percent)
- Freedom of Assembly (10 percent)
- Freedom to Petition for Redress of Grievances (1 percent)
"These survey results clearly demonstrate that many Americans don't have an understanding of the freedoms they regularly enjoy. The Freedom Museum is designed to inspire people to understand and value their freedoms," said Dave Anderson, executive director, McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum. "The Freedom Museum will present freedoms in not merely a historical context, but in modern day examples, allowing people young and old to relate to modern day freedom debates."
Additionally, the researchers through in a few other "freedoms" just to see if people thought they were part of the First Amendment. "About one in five Americans (21 percent) agreed that the First Amendment granted them the right to own and raise pets, something that isn't discussed anywhere in the U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights. One in five also believe that the right to drive is guaranteed by the First Amendment, although the car was not invented for another 100 years."
Something is most definitely wrong with this picture. Yet I wonder how many Americans can name all the First Amendment freedoms and at least five of the current American Idol finalists? Let's see - there's Ayla, Kinnik, Ace, Brenna.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at March 1, 2006 12:27 PM
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