How much does the average American know about government?

Dec 2

STOP: before reading further, take the Pew Research Center’s U.S. civic and political knowledge quiz and see how much you know about American government.

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, and your knowledge of American government and politics.

What portion of Americans know who chooses the president if Electoral College is tied?
Okay, smarty pants: Who chooses the president if Electoral College is tied?***
What is the big story this data tells about Americans' political knowledge?
How different do you imagine this information was 100 years ago and how different do you think this information will be in 20 years?
Most Americans have a super computer in their pocket. We have more immediate access to information than at any time in human history. How has the smartphone revolution impacted Americans’ political knowledge.
Some would argue that it does not really matter if a person knows the length of a Supreme Court term because that information can be found instantaneously online. In fact, we don’t need to know things now, just how to find information about those things. How do you respond to this argument?
According to the visual below* how do political party affiliation, and age impact government knowledge?
We will henceforth refer to the majority of Americans who cannot identify the length of a senate term as "low-information voters". Explain whether you want these "low information voters" to vote.
Should we have a basic test of knowledge, such as, "Please name the party of your current representative. Please name the capital of the United States. Please count to three." in order for people to qualify to vote?
How do you the public’s overall lack of knowledge about the government will impact the 2024 presidential campaign and election?

Learning Extension

Check out the Pew data about what Americans know about their government.

Action Extension

Take the Pew Research Center’s U.S. civic and political knowledge quiz and share your score with someone you trust. My score is below. I only had to take the same quiz 1776 times to pass!