Americans’ knowledge of civics increases, Annenberg survey finds

(Press-News.org) Americans are more knowledgeable this year in answering basic civics questions, according to the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, conducted annually by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

More than two-thirds of U.S. adults (70%) are able to name all three branches of government – the executive, judicial, and legislative – significantly more than a year ago (65%). When asked which rights the First Amendment guarantees, 79% can name “freedom of speech,” an increase over 2024 (74%).

“People can’t cherish, safeguard, or exercise their constitutionally protected rights unless they know that they have them and understand how effective use of them sustains our system of government,” said APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson. “Civics education at home and in schools should be a high priority as a result.” 

Released for Constitution Day (Sept. 17th), the nationally representative survey also finds that trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to deteriorate, with nearly 6 in 10 people (59%) voicing little or no trust the nation’s highest court is operating in their best interests.

Highlights The 2025 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey finds that:

Over two-thirds of Americans (70%) can name all three branches of government. Asked what specific rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment, 79% say freedom of speech. Four in 10 U.S. adults (41%) have at least a moderate amount of trust the Supreme Court is operating in their best interests. There is a nearly 60-point gap between the parties – 75% of Republicans have at least a moderate amount of trust in the court but just 18% of Democrats do. There’s bipartisan support for several potential Supreme Court reforms, with over 80% favoring prohibiting justices from participating in cases in which they have “personal or financial interests.” Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey The nationally representative Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center by independent research company SSRS, draws on responses to Annenberg surveys of empaneled, nationally representative samples of U.S. adults during three periods. In March, respondents (n=1,363) were asked about attitudes toward the Supreme Court. In May-July, that same panel (n=1,334) was asked about proposed reforms to the court. In August, a different nationally representative panel (n=1,684) was asked about civics knowledge. All have a margin of sampling error of ± 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For details, see the topline. See the full release online for additional information.

The branches of government and First Amendment More than two-thirds of Americans (70%) can name all three branches of government, the highest in a few years. (The question has been asked since 2007 and annually since 2014, but a shift in survey methodology from phone to internet in 2023 means the recent figures are not directly comparable to the older ones.) In addition, 12% can name two branches, 6% can name one, and 13% cannot name any, no significant change from last year.

There is an upsurge in awareness of most of the five First Amendment rights, with 40% able to name most of the rights, up from 30% in 2024. When respondents are asked if they can name the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment:

Nearly 4 out of 5 (79%) say freedom of speech, up significantly from 74% in 2024; Nearly half (48%) say freedom of religion, up from 39% in 2024; 36% say right of assembly, up from 27% in 2024; 34% say freedom of the press, statistically unchanged; 12% say the right to petition, statistically unchanged. The 2025 increases in knowledge, during the first year of the second Trump administration, parallel a 2018 increase during the first Trump administration. In both cases, a torrent of executive actions and the resulting judicial cases and actions by Congress produced a rush of political news.

Political party affiliation did not appear to play a role in the increase in civics knowledge.

Eroding trust in the Supreme Court In the past few years, a number of surveys have shown declining trust in the Supreme Court and a widening gap between the political parties in views on the court. The Annenberg survey finds that from 2019 to March 2025, the percentage of U.S. adults holding at least a moderate amount of trust in the court dropped from 68% to 41%.

“Trust has fallen sharply and become polarized,” said University of Pennsylvania political science professor Matt Levendusky, who directs APPC’s Institutions of Democracy division. “Even after previous controversial decisions, like Bush v. Gore, trust in the court rebounded. But in the years since Dobbs [in 2022], it has continued to erode.”

The survey finds a widening, nearly 60-point gap between the parties on trust in the Supreme Court. As of March 2025, 75% of Republicans and Republican-leaning respondents have at least a moderate amount of trust, up from 69% in May 2024, while just 18% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents do, down from 29% in May 2024.  

“The court was once held in high esteem by Democrats and Republicans alike, but that is no longer the case,” Levendusky said. “If the court is just another political actor, then it loses its special place in our political system, with worrying long-term implications.”

Broad popular support for some Supreme Court reforms Asked about potential measures to reform the Supreme Court, most Americans favor prohibiting participation of justices in cases in which they have personal or financial conflicts (83%); creating a formal ethics code for justices (78%); mandatory retirement age (72%); and term limits (69%). Under half favor other proposals – allowing the public to vote to overturn Supreme Court rulings on controversial issues (44%) and increasing the size of the court (31%).

How partisanship affects views of court reform Bipartisan majorities favor four potential reforms to the Supreme Court, though there are partisan differences in the extent to which they favor them. The top potential reform supported by members of both parties is prohibiting justices from participating in cases in which they have personal or financial interests, backed by 86% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans. Notably, most survey respondents in both parties do not favor increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court, an idea proposed by some Democrats and backed by 44% of Democrats, 15% of Republicans, and 33% of independents. One proposal – allowing the public to vote to overturn Supreme Court decisions on controversial issues – is supported by half of Democrats (50%), but just 38% of Republicans and 45% of independents.

Constitution Day APPC releases its annual civics survey in advance of Constitution Day, which celebrates the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. APPC’s initiatives to enhance civics education include Annenberg Classroom, which offers free resources for teaching the Constitution, and the Civics Renewal Network, a coalition of 46 nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving civics education by providing free, high-quality resources for teachers. New resources include the collaborative Constitution Day Hub website and the Annenberg Classroom film “Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause.”

“Strengthening the citizenry’s knowledge of the U.S. Constitution remains paramount for the long-term health of the nation’s democracy. This year’s APPC Constitution Day Civics Survey points to some clear knowledge gains, but there is also evidence indicating that there is more work to be done,” said R. Lance Holbert, director of APPC’s Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics.

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey was developed under the leadership of Levendusky, Jamieson, Holbert, research analyst Shawn Patterson Jr. and APPC’s managing director of survey research, Ken Winneg.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policy makers about communication’s role in advancing public understanding of political, science, and health issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

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