ISI civics quiz

[therealsylvos]

Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions is the third major study conducted by ISI on the kind of knowledge required for informed citizenship. In 2006 and 2007, ISI published the first ever scientific surveys of civic learning among college students. Each year, approximately 14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 schools nationwide were given a 60-question, multiple-choice exam on basic knowledge of America's heritage. Both years, the students failed. The average freshman scored 51.7% the first year and 51.4% the next. The average senior scored 53.2%, then 54.2%. After all the time, effort, and money spent on college, students emerge no better off in understanding the fundamental features of American self-government.

This year, ISI sought to learn more about the real-world consequences of this collegiate failure. ISI crafted a study to measure the independent impact of college on the acquisition and maintenance of civic literacy over a lifetime. First, a random sample of 2,508 American adults of all backgrounds was surveyed, allowing comparisons to be made between the college and non-college educated. They were asked 33 straightforward civics questions, many of which high school graduates and new citizens are expected to know. Respondents were also asked several questions concerning their participation in American civic life, their attitudes about perennial issues of American governance, and other behaviors that may or may not contribute to civic literacy. Finally, the results were run through multivariate regression analysis, allowing ISI to compare the civic impact of college with that of other societal factors.

Do Americans possess the knowledge necessary to participate wisely in the affairs of the nation? Read below to find out.
Major Findings
Finding 1:
Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy

Seventy-one percent of Americans fail the test, with an overall average score of 49%.

* Liberals score 49%; conservatives score 48%. Republicans score 52%; Democrats score 45%.
* Fewer than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government, a minimal requirement for understanding America's constitutional system.

Finding 2:
Americans Agree:
Colleges Should Teach America's Heritage

Americans remain divided over many issues, but on one they have forged a deep consensus. A large majority agrees that colleges should prepare citizen leaders by teaching America's history, key texts, and institutions.

* Seventy-three percent in the West, 69% in the Midwest, 74% in the Northeast, and 74% in the South agree.
* Seventy-four percent of conservatives agree, as do 71% of liberals.
* Seventy-two percent with a high school diploma and 74% with a graduate degree agree.

The civic knowledge gained from engaging in frequent conversations about public affairs, reading about current events and history, and participating in more involved civic activities is greater than the gain from a bachelor's degree alone.
Finding 3:
College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge

Earning a college degree does little to increase knowledge of America's history, key texts, and institutions. The average score among those who ended their formal education with a bachelor's degree is 57%, or an "F." That is only 13 percentage points higher than the average score among those who ended their formal education with a high school diploma.

* Only 24% of college graduates know the First Amendment prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States.

Finding 4:
Television-Including TV News-Dumbs America Down

ISI examined whether other factors add to or subtract from civic literacy and how they compare with the impact of college. The survey revealed that in today's technological age, all else remaining equal, a person's test score drops in proportion to the time he or she spends using certain types of passive electronic media. Talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies, and monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminish a respondent's civic literacy.

In contrast to these negative influences, the civic knowledge gained from the inexpensive combination of engaging in frequent conversations about public affairs, reading about current events and history, and participating in more involved civic activities is greater than the gain from an expensive bachelor's degree alone.
Finding 5:
What College Graduates Don't Know About America

By the time an American earns a bachelor's degree, it is highly unlikely that he or she will have a solid command of the founding and Civil War eras, core constitutional principles, and market economics. Pre-college education tends to increase knowledge of themes from twentieth-century American history at the expense of economics and pre-twentieth-century themes that tend to be the foundation of much subsequent political discourse. Colleges begin to reverse this trend, but not enough to close significant gaps in these crucial categories of civic knowledge.

* Only 54% can correctly identify a basic description of the free enterprise system, in which all Americans participate.

Additional Finding
Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public

Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. On average, they score 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.

* Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.

Take the quiz

I got 32 out of 33 (I missed the last one)

Is this as shocking to everyone else as it is to me?

[dySWN]

31 out of 33 for me. My family is big into history.

It's quite disturbing that people can get less than half of this right.

[aninjaman]

29 out of 33. Im young I can learn.
People shouldn't freak out about Americans not knowing their history. There have always been large amounts of stupid people.

[therealsylvos]

At 11/23/08 02:50 PM, aninjaman wrote: 29 out of 33. Im young I can learn.
People shouldn't freak out about Americans not knowing their history. There have always been large amounts of stupid people.

Yes except on the site in said Harvard seniors only averaged like 69%...

[aninjaman]

At 11/23/08 02:22 PM, therealsylvos wrote: Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. On average, they score 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.

* Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.

That one shocked me.
Is knowing that one simple fact that hard? Especially if its your job to know it.

[Al6200]

I'm not surprised that earning a college degree does little to improve ones score. Outside of a degree specializing in civics or a liberal arts degree, one typically doesn't need to learn anything about government.

But I'm surprised that Harvard seniors didn't do better. It seems like with a small liberal arts core you'd need to learn a lot about civics and politics.

[Conspiracy3]

I question the validity of the study (I got a perfect score so this isn't me bitching)

1. Not all the questions are really about civic literacy some of them are about knowing the names of specific people, rather than about the general concepts of American government and economics

2. The quiz showed a definite bias. (such as the question about central planning)

3. Some questions weren't related to civics at all (such as the puritan question)

4. The question about Greek philosophers had absolutely nothing to do with American history or government.

5. I'm sick of writing more reasons, but there are others.

[Korriken]

i got a 78.79% so I'm slightly above average, which is good because I have only lightly studied history since I graduated over 5 years ago.

[therealsylvos]

At 11/23/08 06:12 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote:
1. Not all the questions are really about civic literacy some of them are about knowing the names of specific people, rather than about the general concepts of American government and economics

People who've shaped American government and politics.

2. The quiz showed a definite bias. (such as the question about central planning)

lulx. Definite bias my ass. Central planning governments have always made it harder for their citizens historically. Whether or not they always will is irrelevant to the history

3. Some questions weren't related to civics at all (such as the puritan question)

The founding of the country seems pretty relevant.

4. The question about Greek philosophers had absolutely nothing to do with American history or government.

Granted, the only real philosopher they would have any right to question about is Locke.

[BetaOrionis]

22 out of 33 for me.

Anyway, I don't think that knowledge of most of what is on this quiz is necessary for everyone to know any more than media literacy or advanced math. Similarly, an artist would say that everyone should have at least a general understanding of art, and a physicist would say we all need a general understanding of physics.

I say leave the history to the historians.

[TheMason]

At 11/23/08 06:12 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote: I question the validity of the study (I got a perfect score so this isn't me bitching)

1. Not all the questions are really about civic literacy some of them are about knowing the names of specific people, rather than about the general concepts of American government and economics

History, as I explain in answer to point 3, is an important part of Civics. Knowing the people who shaped those general concepts is exceptionally important. You actually contradict yourself in point five.

2. The quiz showed a definite bias. (such as the question about central planning)

I do agree with this. On a few of the economic questions I found myself trying to figure out what the test writer's ideological bent was to pick the most correct answer per ISI.

3. Some questions weren't related to civics at all (such as the puritan question)

Part of civics is history. Now if you take a college course on early American intellectual history you'll read alot about the Puritan's worldviews (ideological, philosophical and theological). So yes this question is related to civics.

4. The question about Greek philosophers had absolutely nothing to do with American history or government.

These philosophers wrote the works that the founding fathers studied and then incorporated into the government they were forming. These are were those general concepts you discuss in your first criticism come from.

5. I'm sick of writing more reasons, but there are others.

Do you have any questions that are more relevant?

[Conspiracy3]

At 11/23/08 11:21 PM, therealsylvos wrote:

At 11/23/08 06:12 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote:
1. Not all the questions are really about civic literacy some of them are about knowing the names of specific people, rather than about the general concepts of American government and economics

People who've shaped American government and politics.

My main point is that knowing concepts is more important than knowing names.

2. The quiz showed a definite bias. (such as the question about central planning)

lulx. Definite bias my ass. Central planning governments have always made it harder for their citizens historically. Whether or not they always will is irrelevant to the history

Whether or not they are better or worse is irrelevant, but if they worded the question as "What is a disadvantage of centralized planning" rather than "Centralized governments generally do worse than other governments why is this so" it would have been acceptable.

3. Some questions weren't related to civics at all (such as the puritan question)

The founding of the country seems pretty relevant.

The puritans weren't the only people who led to the foundation of the nation. People commonly say that the puritians were th first English colonists, but there were tobacco farmers in Virginia 13 years before anyone touched Plymouth rock.

4. The question about Greek philosophers had absolutely nothing to do with American history or government.

Granted, the only real philosopher they would have any right to question about is Locke.

I'm not saying the Greek philosophers aren't important i'm just saying they have nothing to do with civic literacy.

[Conspiracy3]

At 11/24/08 07:31 PM, TheMason wrote:

At 11/23/08 06:12 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote: I question the validity of the study (I got a perfect score so this isn't me bitching)

1. Not all the questions are really about civic literacy some of them are about knowing the names of specific people, rather than about the general concepts of American government and economics

History, as I explain in answer to point 3, is an important part of Civics. Knowing the people who shaped those general concepts is exceptionally important. You actually contradict yourself in point five.

My point was that memorizing names is not important. Understanding concepts is important.

3. Some questions weren't related to civics at all (such as the puritan question)

Part of civics is history. Now if you take a college course on early American intellectual history you'll read alot about the Puritan's worldviews (ideological, philosophical and theological). So yes this question is related to civics.

Okay I concede this point. You have made a good argument.

4. The question about Greek philosophers had absolutely nothing to do with American history or government.

These philosophers wrote the works that the founding fathers studied and then incorporated into the government they were forming. These are were those general concepts you discuss in your first criticism come from.

Yes, but knowing which philosophers said what isn't important. What is important is knowing what ideas were put forth.

5. I'm sick of writing more reasons, but there are others.

Do you have any questions that are more relevant?

Knowing that the questions were designed to be simplistic I will make the questions I suggest simplistic as well.

1. What was not a main reason that the colonists rebelled against King George III?
a. Lack of representation in parliament
b. Persecution of the native Americans
c. Quartering of troops in civilian houses
d. The Boston Massacre

The answer of this is obviously b. Even though the natives were persecuted they were persecuted by both the loyalists and the patriots so that was not a major issue.

2. What is the general concept behind communism?
a. to have a benevolant dictator persecute the populous
b. to each according to his needs from each according to his abilities
c. to worship Karl Marx as a god
d. to allow people to use any business practice

The answer is obviously b. However, there is a huge problem in the US that a lot of people would probably think A is the correct choice because of McCarthyism and the red scare.

3. What was the cause of the Iraq war
a. Oil
b. To kill Saddam Hussein
c. misinformation given to congress and the people
d. All of the above

correct answer is D

[dySWN]

At 11/24/08 07:59 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote: 3. What was the cause of the Iraq war
a. Oil
b. To kill Saddam Hussein
c. misinformation given to congress and the people
d. All of the above

correct answer is D

You responded to the bias you saw by injecting your own. LOLZ SO RANDUM XD

[Conspiracy3]

At 11/24/08 10:00 PM, dySWN wrote:

At 11/24/08 07:59 PM, Conspiracy3 wrote: 3. What was the cause of the Iraq war
a. Oil
b. To kill Saddam Hussein
c. misinformation given to congress and the people
d. All of the above

correct answer is D

You responded to the bias you saw by injecting your own. LOLZ SO RANDUM XD

that last question was a joke question one and two i actually meant (even though I do believe the answer to number three wholeheartedly)

[n64kid]

One wrong, the philosophy question.

Never had them in my government textbook.

[ThePretenders]

I would like to say, as an non-American I scored 29/33 but I am studying American politics, so no surprise there. Most of the questions were common sense like what is the three branches of government and what is the most likely fiscal policy during a depression?

[morefngdbs]

26 out of 33, & I'm a Canadian ...and I don't remember some of that ever being taught in my schooling.

[Slizor]

I got 30. Got two wrong on the bit when I was meant to select reasons why the free market is by far the best system ever invented in the world ever.

Are the ISI trying to claim that Sputnik was American?

[therealsylvos]

At 1/14/09 08:29 AM, Slizor wrote: I got 30. Got two wrong on the bit when I was meant to select reasons why the free market is by far the best system ever invented in the world ever.

Are the ISI trying to claim that Sputnik was American?

Are you trying to claim that the USSR was more technically advanced than the united states during the Cold War?

[jakobhummelen]

So I had 23 out of the 33 question answered right.. which I think is pretty good considering I'm Dutch (and I live in Holland, not the US).

It's pretty bad that a lot of Americans have trouble with their own history, even though it's very important that you know what your country went through. Is there no history classes in normal school and high school like over here?

Also, I must criticize the test for a few question having not so much to do with history but more with economy (free market thinking etc.), I guess that is pretty important for the US but it's still not history (or not phrased right)