Our Fading Heritage

Americans Fail
a Basic Test on
Their History and
Institutions

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

American Civic Literacy Program
America’s Report Card
In spring 2008, a random sample of Americans took a straightforward test designed to assess each
respondent’s “knowledge of America’s founding principles and texts, core history, and enduring institu-
tions”—ISI’s definition of civic literacy. As detailed below, over 70% of Americans failed this basic test
of the kind of knowledge required for informed and responsible citizenship.

Grade Number surveyed Percent surveyed

A (90 to 100%) 21 0.8%

B (80 to 89.9%) 66 2.6

C (70 to 79.9%) 185 7.4

D (60 to 69.9%) 445 17.8

F
Total
(59.9% and below) 1,791

2,508
71.4

100.0
Our Fading Heritage
Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their
History and Institutions

A Report by the

Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s

National Civic Literacy Board

November 20, 2008

T. Ke nn e t h C ri b b Jr.
President, ISI

I ntercollegi at e S t ud i e s In st i t ut e , In c.
3901 Centerville Road • P.O. Box 4431
Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
(302) 652-4600

w w w. a me r i ca n ci vi cli t er a cy.o r g
2 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
Introduction
W hen Thomas Jefferson was 75
years old, as Dumas Malone relates in The Sage
of Monticello, he mounted a horse and joined his
old friend James Madison in riding to a place called
Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The two former presidents were not sightseeing.
They were attending the meeting of a commission to fi-
nalize Jefferson’s plan for a public university in Virginia.
The college he envisioned would “form the states-
men, legislators, and judges on whom public prosper-
ity and individual happiness so much depend.”
The curriculum would “expound the principles
and structure of government; the laws which regulate
the intercourse of nations, those formed municipally
for our own government; and a sound spirit of legis-
lation, which banishing all arbitrary and unnecessary
restraint on individual action, shall leave us free to do
whatever does not violate the equal rights of another.”
Almost two centuries later, few questions remain
as vital to the prospects of American liberty as the
one at the center of Jefferson’s later years: are we edu-
cating our children to pass on to their children the
freedom that was passed on to us?
This report from the Intercollegiate Studies In-
stitute (ISI)—Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a
Basic Test on Their History and Institutions—presents
evidence, based on a scientifically conducted national
survey, that American higher education is falling far
short of Jefferson’s ideal.
To put it plainly: Americans fail the test of civic
literacy—what they know about America’s history
and institutions.
Many Americans with bachelor’s degrees cannot
answer the most basic questions about our nation’s
history and founding documents. Many cannot name
all three branches of government or major guarantees
of the Bill of Rights.
Our Fading Heritage is the third study of civic
literacy published by ISI. All three corroborate the
conclusion that American civic education needs to be
improved significantly. The first two studies focused
exclusively on college students; Our Fading Heritage
expands the focus to include all Americans, college-
educated or not. What are the real-world consequenc-
es of college graduates not having the knowledge re-
quired for informed citizenship? Read this report and
you will begin to find out.
In 2006, ISI—in conjunction with the University
of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy—con-
ducted the first ever scientific survey of civic learning
among American college students. Approximately
14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 schools nation-
wide were given a 60-question multiple-choice exam
on basic knowledge of America’s history and insti-
tutions. The results, published in The Coming Cri-
sis in Citizenship: Higher Education’s Failure to Teach
America’s History and Institutions, rang an alarm. The
average college freshman failed the civic literacy test
with a score of 51.7%. The average senior failed with
a score of 53.2%.
In 2007, ISI once again tested approximately
14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 colleges nationwide.
The results of this second survey, Failing Our Students,
Failing America: Holding Colleges Accountable for Teach-
“If a nation expects to be ignorant
and free... it expects what never was
and never will be.”
–Thomas Jefferson

ing America’s History and Institutions, corrobo-
rated the results of the first. The average score
among freshmen in this round of testing was
51.4%; the average among seniors, 54.2%.
For each year of college study, students gained
only about one percentage point on the civic
literacy exam.
Students did poorly even at the most
elite schools. Harvard seniors, who did best,
earned an average score of only 69.56%, or a “D+.”
The media focused significant attention on these
two ISI reports. Hundreds of news articles, com-
mentaries, and editorials cited the test results. Yet the
problem of civic illiteracy remains.
In 2008, ISI broadened the field of its study in
order to more systematically isolate and gauge the
independent impact of college on the civic knowl-
edge of its graduates. In conjunction with Dr. Ken-
neth Dautrich of the University of Connecticut and
with Braun Research, Inc., ISI administered a basic
33-question civic literacy test to a random sample of
2,508 American adults, ranging from those without
high school diplomas to those with advanced degrees.
Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well
as from nationally recognized exams such as the U.S.
government’s citizenship test and the National As-
sessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test. Re-
spondents also were asked questions regarding their
level of engagement in other activities that may or
may not contribute to civic literacy.
The average score for all Americans who took this
straightforward civic literacy test is 49%, or an “F.”
The survey discovered that civic literacy does
improve the longer a person stays in school, but it
improves too little and too inconsistently, especial-
Sincerely,
T. Kenneth Cribb Jr. Lt. General Josiah Bunting III
President, Intercollegiate Studies Institute Chairman, National Civic Literacy Board
www.americancivicliteracy.org 3
2006 ISI Report 2007 ISI Report
ly in light of the tremendous resources devoted to
American higher education. The average score for
bachelor’s-degree recipients is 57%, and even Ameri-
cans who hold advanced degrees only earn an average
score of 65%.
The purpose of this survey and ISI’s American
Civic Literacy Program is not to disparage American
higher education, but to hold it accountable and to
encourage leaders inside and outside of the academy
to consider possible reforms.
When the commissioners met at Rockfish Gap in
1818, it turned out that the only real subject of conten-
tion was where the university should be located—not
what its mission should be. They unanimously adopt-
ed Jefferson’s plan advocating an institution of higher
learning that would develop civic leaders.
An overwhelming majority of those surveyed for
this report agree with Jefferson, saying they believe
higher education should prepare citizen leaders by
teaching students about our nation’s history and in-
stitutions.
In light of this, the question that needs to be ex-
amined by faculty, administrators, trustees, donors,
taxpayers, and elected officials is how this worthy goal
is to be achieved for the students and parents who
sacrifice so much for a proper college education.
A Look Back at ISI’s 2007 College Rankings
“ N E G ATIVE CIVIC LEAR N I N G” AT AMERI CA’S TO P
U N I VERS ITIES
L a s t Y e a r , ISI issued its second annual report to the nation examining exclusively the civic knowledge of col-
lege undergraduates. The report’s findings were based upon the results of a civic literacy test given to approximately
7,000 college freshmen and 7,000 college seniors at 50 randomly selected colleges. The test consisted of 60 multiple-
choice questions about America’s history, political thought, foreign relations, and market economy and was designed
to assess—along with the 2006 survey—the amount of civic learning actually occurring in college classrooms. In
neither year did the average senior at any college score better than a “D+,” and even more disturbing, seniors did
worse than freshmen at some of America’s most prestigious universities—Princeton, Duke, Yale, and Cornell—a
phenomenon dubbed “negative learning.”
Colleges Ranked Freshman Senior Value Colleges Ranked Freshman Senior Value
by Value Added+ Mean Mean Added by Value Added+ Mean Mean Added

1. Eastern Conn. State Univ.* 31.34% 40.99% +9.65%
2. Marian College (WI)* 33.66 43.10 9.44
3. Murray State Univ. (KY)* 40.63 49.75 9.12
4. Concordia University (NE)* 46.29 55.28 8.99
5. St. Cloud State Univ. (MN)* 35.67 44.26 8.59
6. Mississippi State University* 42.50 50.86 8.36
7. Pfeiffer University (NC)* 36.05 44.30 8.25
8. Illinois State University* 42.74 50.93 8.19
9. Iowa State University* 45.03 52.69 7.66
10. University of Mississippi 41.87 49.32 7.45
11. Smith College (MA) 52.63 60.07 7.44
12. Rhodes College (TN) 53.76 61.18 7.42
13. University of Montana* 45.54 52.16 6.62
14. Idaho State University* 41.76 48.15 6.39
15. University of Wisconsin 51.57 57.87 6.30
16. Univ. of Southern Maine* 37.48 43.58 6.10
17. Harvard University 63.59 69.56 5.97
18. University of Notre Dame 55.66 61.25 5.59
19. Mt. Vernon Nazarene (OH)* 40.04 44.60 4.56
20. Washington & Lee University 62.46 66.98 4.52
21. Calvin College (MI) 51.99 56.45 4.46
22. University of Florida 48.96 53.40 4.44
23. University of North Carolina 53.26 57.68 4.42
24. Univ. of Minn.–Twin Cities* 49.18 53.50 4.32
25. University of Michigan 46.68 51.00 4.32
+
Value added equals the freshman mean score subtracted from the senior mean score * Randomly selected school
26. University of Washington 51.63% 55.88% +4.25%
27. Gonzaga University (WA) 47.71 51.86 4.15
28. University of Rochester (NY)* 55.69 59.32 3.63
29. Grove City College (PA) 63.64 67.26 3.62
30. Georgia College & State U.* 40.28 43.68 3.40
31. Bowdoin College (ME) 59.50 62.86 3.36
32. University of Georgia* 54.48 57.76 3.28
33. Carnegie Mellon University* 54.06 56.90 2.84
34. St. Thomas University (FL)* 29.75 32.50 2.75
35. Texas State Univ.–San Marcos* 41.25 43.99 2.74
36. Texas A&M Intl. Univ.* 38.43 41.14 2.71
37. George Mason Univ. (VA) 47.28 49.96 2.68
38. University of Virginia 62.95 65.28 2.33
39. Brown University 63.42 65.64 2.22
40. Wheaton College (IL) 62.87 64.98 2.11
41. University of Pennsylvania 62.66 63.49 0.83
42. Univ. of Mass.–Amherst* 46.10 46.66 0.56
43. Oakwood College (AL)* 35.17 34.69 -0.48
44. Univ. of Cal.–Berkeley 57.03 56.27 -0.76
45. Rutgers University* 50.93 49.99 -0.94
46. Princeton University 63.60 61.90 -1.70
47. St. John’s University (NY)* 41.69 39.82 -1.87
48. Duke University 65.66 63.41 -2.25
49. Yale University 68.94 65.85 -3.09
50. Cornell University 61.90 56.95 -4.95
Our Fading Heritage
Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their
History and Institutions

Contents

Executive Summary 6

Major Findings

Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy 9

Americans Agree: Colleges Should Teach America’s Heritage 11

College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge 12

Television—Including TV News—Dumbs America Down 14

What College Graduates Don’t Know About America 16

Additional Finding

Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public 19

Conclusion 20

Survey development and Methodology 23

2008 American Civic Literacy Test 24

6 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

O
Executive Summary

ur Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a impact of college with that of other societal factors.
Basic Test on Their History and Institutions is the Do Americans possess the knowledge necessary
third major study conducted by ISI on the kind of to participate wisely in the affairs of the nation? Read
knowledge required for informed citizenship. In 2006 below to find out.
and 2007, ISI published the first ever scientific sur-
veys of civic learning among college students. Each Major Findings
year, approximately 14,000 freshmen and seniors at
Finding 1:
50 schools nationwide were given a 60-question, mul-
Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
tiple-choice exam on basic knowledge of America’s
Seventy-one percent of Americans fail the test, with
heritage. Both years, the students failed. The average
an overall average score of 49%.
freshman scored 51.7% the first year and 51.4% the
next. The average senior scored 53.2%, then 54.2%.
• Liberals score 49%; conservatives score
After all the time, effort, and money spent on college,
48%. Republicans score 52%; Democrats
students emerge no better off in understanding the
score 45%.
fundamental features of American self-government.
• Fewer than half of all Americans can name
This year, ISI sought to learn more about the real-
all three branches of government, a mini-
world consequences of this collegiate failure. ISI crafted
mal requirement for understanding Ameri-
a study to measure the independent impact of college
ca’s constitutional system.
on the acquisition and maintenance of civic literacy
over a lifetime. First, a random sample of 2,508 Ameri-
Finding 2:
can adults of all backgrounds was surveyed, allowing
Americans Agree:
comparisons to be made between the college and non-
Colleges Should Teach America’s Heritage
college educated. They were asked 33 straightforward
Americans remain divided over many issues, but on
civics questions, many of which high school graduates
one they have forged a deep consensus. A large major-
and new citizens are expected to know. Respondents
ity agrees that colleges should prepare citizen leaders by
were also asked several questions concerning their par-
teaching America’s history, key texts, and institutions.
ticipation in American civic life, their attitudes about
perennial issues of American governance, and other
• Seventy-three percent in the West, 69% in
behaviors that may or may not contribute to civic lit-
the Midwest, 74% in the Northeast, and
eracy. Finally, the results were run through multivariate
74% in the South agree.
regression analysis, allowing ISI to compare the civic
• Seventy-four percent of conservatives agree,
as do 71% of liberals.
• Seventy-two percent with a high school diplo-
ma 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 knowl-
edge of America’s history, key texts, and institutions.
The average score among those who ended their for-
mal 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 im-
pact of college. The survey revealed that in today’s tech-
nological 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 partici-
pating 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 sub-
sequent political discourse. Colleges begin to reverse
www.americancivicliteracy.org 7
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.
Conclusion:
A Call to Reform
ISI calls on administrators, trustees, donors, faculty,
parents, and elected officials to reevaluate curricula and
standards of accountability so that colleges can better
prepare their graduates for the responsibilities of in-
formed citizenship.
• Do colleges require courses in American
history, politics, economics, and other core
areas?
• Do colleges assess the civic or overall learn-
ing of their graduates?
• Do elected officials link college appropria-
tions to real measures of civic or overall
learning?
• Do parents make college selection choices
based upon a school’s actual academic per-
formance?
After all the time, effort, and money
spent on college, students emerge no better
off in understanding the fundamental
features of American self-government.
8 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
The Average N at i onwi de G r ade
o n t h e Civic Li te r acy T e st i s an “ F ”
A m e r i c a n s nationwide fail the civic literacy test, scoring an average of 49%, or an “F.” This
table shows the average score achieved by various groups.
Overall average
Mean score for all surveyed 49%
Score by age
18 to 24 47
25 to 34 46
35 to 44 49
45 to 64 52
65+ 46
Score by Gender
Male 52
Female 45 Democrat 45
Score by RACE/Ethnicity
White 51
Black 40
Hispanic 38
Asian 42
Multiracial 49
Other 42
Score by Marital Status
Married 51
Single 48
Divorced or separated 47
Almost 40% of Americans
falsely believe the president has
the power to declare war.
Score by Parental Status
Has one child or more 48%
Has no children 50
Score by Income
Less than $30,000 40
$30,000 to $50,000 46
$50,000 to $75,000 51
$75,000 to $100,000 55
$100,000+ 55
Score by Party Identification
Republican 52
Independent 52
Other 46
Score by Political ideology
Liberal 49
Moderate 51
Conservative 48
Score by Military Service
Active or reserve 51
Never served 48
Score by Church Attendance
More than once a week 48
Once a week 48
Once or twice a month 49
Seldom 51
Never 50

Finding 1
I
Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
F There is any presidential speech that
has captured a place in popular culture, it is the
Gettysburg Address, seemingly recited by school
children for decades. The truth is, however, Lincoln’s
most memorable words are now remembered by very
few.
Of the 2,508 Americans taking ISI’s civic literacy
test, 71% fail. Nationwide, the average score on the
test is only 49%. The vast majority cannot recognize
the language of Lincoln’s famous speech.
The test, reprinted on pages 24 to 27 of this
report, contains 33 questions designed to measure
knowledge of America’s founding principles, political
history, international relations, and market economy.
Twenty-seven questions are multiple choice; six are
fill-in-the-blank.
While the questions vary in difficulty, most test
basic knowledge. Six are borrowed from U.S. govern-
ment naturalization exams that test knowledge ex-
pected of all new American citizens. Nine are taken
from the National Assessment of Educational Prog-
ress tests that the U.S. Department of Education uses
to assess high school seniors. Three are drawn from
an “American History 101” exam posted online by
www.InfoPlease.com. Two were developed especially
for this survey and the rest were drawn from ISI’s pre-
vious civic literacy tests.
The results reveal that Americans are alarmingly
uninformed about our Constitution, the basic func-
tions of our government, the key texts of our national
history, and economic principles.
• Less than half can name all three branches
of the government.
• Only 21% know that the phrase “govern-
ment of the people, by the people, for the
people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address.
• Although Congress has voted twice in the
last eight years to approve foreign wars, only
53% know that the power to declare war
www.americancivicliteracy.org 9
belongs to Congress. Almost 40% incor-
rectly believe it belongs to the president.
• Only 55% know that Congress shares au-
thority over U.S. foreign policy with the
president. Almost a quarter incorrectly be-
lieve Congress shares this power with the
United Nations.
• Only 27% know the Bill of Rights express-
ly prohibits establishing an official religion
for the United States.
• Less than one in five know that the phrase
“a wall of separation” between church and
state comes from a letter by Thomas Jeffer-
son. Almost half incorrectly believe it can
be found in the Constitution.
Americans from all age groups, income brackets,
and political ideologies fail the test of civic literacy.
• Americans age 25 to 34 score an average of
46% on the exam; Americans age 65 and
over score 46%.
• Americans earning an annual income be-
tween $30,000 and $50,000 score an av-
erage of 46%; Americans earning over
$100,000 score 55%.
• Liberals score an average of 49%; conserva-
tives score 48%.
• Americans who go to church once a week
score an average of 48%; Americans who
never go to church score 50%.
Widespread ignorance of our nation’s history
and institutions is a worrisome sign for our nation’s
future. As we shall see, today’s Americans share the
conviction of the Founding Fathers that civic educa-
tion is important—and they are right in this convic-
tion. Respondents who score in the top third in civic
literacy, the survey shows, are more likely than those
who score poorly on the test to participate in the civic
life of their communities and country.
10 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

A N AT I O NAL CO NSE NSUS ON CIVIC LITERACY

While Americans have sharply disagreed on many significant issues of public policy in recent years, they maintain
a broad national consensus on the importance of civic literacy. Large majorities in all regions of the country and in
diverse demographic groups agree that colleges should prepare citizen leaders by teaching students about America’s
history, key texts, and institutions.

Co lle g es should p repare c itize n leaders by teach ing

Am erica’ s h is to ry, key te xts, and in stitutions

Wes t
7 3 % Agree
Strongly agree 49%
Agree 24
Neutral 19
Disagree 5
Strongly disagree 4
NorthEas t
MidW e st 7 4 % A gre e
Strongly agree 47%
6 9 % A gre e Agree 27
Strongly agree 47% Neutral 17
Agree 22 Disagree 4
Neutral 21 Strongly disagree 5
Disagree 5
Strongly disagree 5
South
7 4 % A gre e
Strongly agree 54%
Agree 20
Neutral 17
Disagree 4
Strongly disagree 5

Consensus by education, age, Race/ethnicity, Gender, and Ideology

EDUCATION LEVEL AGE

< High High College Grad.
School School Grad. Degree 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 64 65+
Strongly agree 49% 50% 48% 49% 40% 49% 52% 48% 57%
Agree 20 21 26 25 27 23 23 22 18
Neutral 16 18 18 18 23 19 17 20 13
Disagree 5 4 4 4 4 4 6 3 5
Strongly disagree 7 5 4 4 4 4 3 6 6
Race/ETHNICITY Gender Political Ideology
Black White Hispanic Male Female Liberal Conservative
Strongly agree 53% 49% 42% 48% 50% 44% 56%
Agree 14 23 28 23 22 26 18
Neutral 18 18 21 18 18 20 17
Disagree 4 4 4 4 5 4 3
Strongly disagree 8 4 3 5 4 5 6

Finding 2
A
Americans Agree: Colleges Should Teach America’s Heritage
mericans have been so deeply di-
vided over some issues of public policy in recent
years that we now live in what are popularly known
as “red states” and “blue states.”
On at least one significant question, however, we
have forged a deep consensus. In all regions and stra-
ta of the country, large majorities agree that colleges
should prepare citizen leaders by teaching America’s
history, key texts, and institutions.
We believe this whether we are young or old,
rich or poor, liberal or conservative. We believe this
whether we are male or female; black, white, or His-
panic. We believe this whether we have served in the
military or not, and whether we attend church regu-
larly or seldom.
The belief that colleges should prepare citizen
leaders by teaching our nation’s history and institu-
tions is embraced both by those who never attended
college and by those with advanced degrees.
Virtually the same percentage of Americans who
failed the civic literacy test believe it is important for
colleges to instill civic knowledge. Of the 2,508 peo-
ple surveyed, 72% agree that colleges should prepare
citizen leaders by teaching students about America.
Eighteen percent are neutral on the question. Only
9% disagree.
This consensus is embraced by every neighbor-
hood in our national community.
• Americans in all geographical regions agree
that colleges should prepare citizen leaders
by teaching students America’s history, key
texts, and institutions. This includes 73%
in the West, 69% in the Midwest, 74% in
the Northeast, and 74% in the South.
• Seventy-four percent of conservatives agree
and 71% of liberals.
• Seventy-two percent of women agree and
71% of men.
• Seventy percent of Hispanics agree, as do
67% of blacks and 72% of whites.
www.americancivicliteracy.org 11
• Seventy-three percent between ages 25 and
34 agree, as do 76% age 65 or older.
• Seventy percent earning less than $30,000
per year agree, as do 71% earning more
than $100,000.
• Seventy-five percent of those who have
served in the military agree, as do 72% of
those who have not served in the military.
• Seventy-two percent of Americans who go
to church more than once a week agree, as
do 71% who seldom go to church.
• Seventy-two percent with only a high
school diploma agree as do 74% of those
holding graduate degrees.
The survey gives some indication of why Ameri-
cans have formed this consensus. Seventy-three per-
cent say a person’s evaluation of a nation improves
with his or her understanding of it, while 61% af-
firm that our founding documents remain vital to the
civic life of our nation.
We have seen that this modern consensus is in
accord with the thinking of Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison. It is also in accord with that of Ben-
jamin Franklin. When Franklin first proposed found-
ing a college in Philadelphia, he noted that all na-
tions must establish “such Seminaries of Learning as
might supply the succeeding Age with Men qualified
to serve the Publick with Honour to themselves and
to their Country.”
Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and seven out of
ten Americans today agree: colleges should prepare
citizen leaders.
12 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
Finding 3
E
College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge
arning a college degree does
little to increase knowledge of America’s history,
key texts, and institutions.
The average score on the American civic literacy
exam for 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 earned by those who hold high school, but not
college, diplomas.
College graduates in all age brackets—except
Baby Boomers (ages 45 to 64)—typically earn an “F”
on the exam. Baby Boomers who ended their formal
education with a bachelor’s degree score an average of
61%, or a “D-.”
On average, Americans who ended their formal
education when they graduated from high school
correctly answer 14.4 of the 33 questions on the
The average score for the college
graduates who took ISI’s American civic
literacy exam was 57%, an “F.” That was
only 13 percentage points higher than the
44% earned by those who hold high
school, but not college, diplomas.
exam. Those who ended their formal education when
they graduated from college typically answer 18.9 of
the questions correctly. An American with a four-year
college degree, in other words, typically gains only
about one correct answer for each year in college.
Only one in five college graduates earns a “C”
or better on the exam, and only 42% of those with
graduate degrees earn a “C” or better. Thirty-two per-
cent of those with graduate degrees fail.
Holding a college diploma does not guarantee
that a person will know the most fundamental facts
of American history or how our system of govern-
ment works.
• Thirty-six percent of college graduates can-
not name all three branches of government,
required knowledge on the U.S. citizenship
exam. Remarkably, that is the same per-
centage of first-time citizenship applicants
who answer this question correctly.*
• Only 26% of college graduates know that
the phrase “a wall of separation” between
church and state comes from Thomas Jeffer-
son’s letters. Fifty-two percent falsely believe
it is found in the Constitution.
• Only 33% of college graduates know the Bill
of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an
official religion for the United States.
• Eighteen percent of college graduates can-
not name a single right or freedom guaran-
teed by the First Amendment.
• Only 54% of college graduates correctly de-
fine free enterprise as a system in which indi-
vidual citizens create, exchange, and control
goods and services. Thirteen percent believe
it is a system in which demand and supply
are decided through majority vote.
• Thirty-two percent of college graduates
falsely believe the president has the power
to declare war.
* U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Naturalization
Test Redesign Project Report, January 2008.

• Only 24% of college graduates know that
the main issue in the Lincoln–Douglas
debates was whether slavery should be al-
lowed to expand into new territories.
• College graduates also do little better than
high school graduates in distinguishing
between the Gettysburg Address and the
Declaration of Independence. Only 24%
of college graduates (compared to 21% of
high school graduates) know that the phrase
“government of the people, by the people,
for the people” comes from President Lin-
coln’s immortal speech. Forty-eight percent
of college graduates (compared to 41% of
high school graduates) incorrectly believe it
comes from the Declaration.
American taxpayers are extraordinarily generous
with American colleges. In fiscal year 2005—accord-
ing to data collected by the National Center for Edu-
cation Statistics—federal, state, and local government
gave $114 billion to public colleges and $17 billion
to private colleges.
What do the taxpayers, many of whom cannot
afford to send their own children to college, receive
in return for this investment? Given that 71% believe
colleges should prepare citizen leaders by teaching
students America’s history, key texts, and institutions,
it is clear that they are not getting what they expect or
what they deserve.
Thirty-six percent of college graduates
cannot name all three branches of government,
required knowledge on the U.S. citizenship
exam. Remarkably, that is the same percentage
of first-time citizenship applicants who
answer this question correctly.
www.americancivicliteracy.org 13
Undergraduates Fail
Average score by highest academic degree attained
Highest Degree Average Score
Doctorate 72%
Master’s 64
Undergraduate 57
High School 44
No High School 35
Baby Boomers Do Best:
They earn a “D-”
Average score by age for those who ended their formal
education with a bachelor’s degree
Age Average Score
18 to 24 59%
25 to 34 54
35 to 44 54
45 to 64 61
65+ 59
Public, Private, and
Religious Colleges Do
Equally Poorly
Average score by type of four-year college for those who
ended their formal education with a bachelor’s degree
College Type Average Score
State University 58%
Private Secular University 58
Religious University 58
Do America’s Founding
Documents Still Matter?
Among respondents who ended their formal education
with a bachelor’s degree, those who think America’s
founding documents still matter score higher on the test
than those who don’t
Average
Opinion Score
Agree or strongly agree that America’s
founding documents remain relevant 60%
Disagree or strongly disagree that America’s
founding documents remain relevant 48
14 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

Finding 4

I
Television—Including TV News—Dumbs America Down

n order to help isolate the impact a col-
lege degree has on civic literacy, ISI examined ad-
ditional factors that might add to or subtract from
an individual’s civic knowledge. The survey results
were put through a regression analysis to determine
whether various behaviors in a respondent’s life had
a unique, statistically significant impact on his or her
civic knowledge.
The multiple-regression analysis indicated that 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 even monitoring TV news broad-
casts and documentaries diminishes a respondent’s
civic literacy.
Actively seeking knowledge through print media
and high-quality conversations has the opposite effect.
Reading about history and current events in books,
magazines, and newspapers—and talking about these
subjects with family and friends—increases a respon-
dent’s civic literacy.
In fact, an American who lacks a college degree
but has initiative and desire—and who does not
spend too much time watching TV and talking on
the phone—can acquire more civic knowledge than a
couch potato with a college degree.
While earning a bachelor’s degree increases civic
knowledge more than any other single factor (+6.9%
on the test), the civic knowledge gained from engag-
ing in frequent conversations about public affairs,
reading about current events and history, and partici-
pating in more involved civic activities is greater than
the gain from a bachelor’s degree alone.
• Frequently discussing public affairs and his-
tory with family and friends adds 5.5% to a

The C o u c h P otato
Ph en o m en o n
THi s Ta b l e shows the change in a respondent’s test score associated with six selected behaviors in his or
her life.
Change in
Behavior Civic Knowledge

positive influence OF ACTIVE LEARNING

Frequently discussing current events and public affairs +5.5%
(Daily or weekly as opposed to monthly, rarely, or never)
Participating in more involved or advanced politics +1.7 per action
(Nine items ranging from signing a petition to contacting a public official)
Reading history or current events in books, newspapers, or magazines +0.1 per hour per week

Negative influence OF PASSIVE ELECTRONIC MEDIUM

Watching movies you own or rent -0.14 per hour per week
Visiting on the telephone -0.10 per hour per week
Watching television news or documentaries -0.08 per hour per week
 www.americancivicliteracy.org 15

Respondents who scored in the top third in civic literacy were more likely than
those who scored poorly to participate in the civic life of their communities.

respondent’s score on the civic literacy test.
• Reading about history and current events
in books, magazines, and newspapers for
an average of 15 hours per week adds 1.5%
to a respondent’s score.
• Americans who make habits of both fre-
quently conversing about public affairs and
history and also reading about these sub-
jects for an average of 15 hours per week
increase their civic knowledge by 7%—
slightly more than the 6.9% gained from
earning a college degree.
• More involved political activities (beyond
merely voting)—such as attending a politi-
cal rally, giving money to a political cam-
paign, signing a petition, or publishing a
letter to the editor—are also associated with
higher test scores. A respondent’s score in-
creases by 1.7% for each one of these activi-
ties. This finding corroborates a key finding
of ISI’s previous civic literacy surveys that
greater learning about America goes hand-
in-hand with more active citizenship.
• Twenty-four-hour cable news channels are
not a boon to civic knowledge. Respon-
dents lose 0.08% on their test score for
each hour they spend each week watching
TV news programs and documentaries.
• Electronic media is not all bad. Active
use of the Internet is positively correlated
with higher test scores. Respondents who
frequently explore social networking sites
such as Facebook and Myspace score high-
er than respondents who do not.
Interestingly, the analysis also discovered that
people who do better on the civic literacy test also do
better financially, even when holding constant their
educational attainment.
The survey suggests that teachers at all levels of the
educational system can improve the civic literacy of
Americans by inspiring in them a lifelong love of learn-
ing. Colleges in particular can increase their contribu-
tion to civic literacy by encouraging students to read
independently, to reduce their time using telephones
and watching TV, and to participate in civic life.

Pau l a A b d u l B eats
Ho n es t A b e
Respondents were asked if they could name
the three judges on last year’s popular American
Idol television program. Paula Abdul turned out
to be the most well-known. Over twice as many
people knew she was a judge on American Idol
as know that the phrase “government of the
people, by the people, for the people” comes
from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Named Abdul as a judge on American Idol 56%
© Getty Images Recognized phrase from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address 21%
16 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
Finding 5
W
What College Graduates Don’t Know About America
hen The REV. Martin Luther King Jr.
stood at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and
delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he
did not condemn the principles of America’s found-
ing, he confirmed them: “When the architects of our
republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitu-
tion and the Declaration of Independence, they were
signing a promissory note to which every American
was to fall heir.”
Nor did King neglect the memory of the presi-
dent whose marble likeness sat behind him. Echo-
ing the Gettysburg Address, King urged the nation to
recall what Lincoln did: “Five score years ago, a great
American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today,
signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”
What College Graduates Don’t Know About America
T h i s R a nking shows that those who ended their formal education with a bachelor’s degree have significant
trouble with questions on the founding and Civil War eras, constitutional themes, and market economics.
% %
Rank/Theme of Question Correct Rank/Theme of Question Correct
1. Free Markets vs. Centralized Planning 16.94%
2. The Puritans 23.44
3. Gettysburg Address 23.73
4. Lincoln–Douglas Debates 24.21
5. Source of phrase “a wall of separation” 26.28
6. FDR and the Supreme Court 29.74
7. Taxes and Government Spending 31.37
8. Action Prohibited by the Bill of Rights 32.83
9. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas 33.57
10. Definition of a Public Good 34.12
11. Fiscal Policy for Economic Stimulus 42.99
12. Anti-Federalists and the Constitution 43.77
13. International Trade 47.47
14. Definition of Free Enterprise 53.47
15. Policy Tool of the Federal Reserve 56.52
16. Business Profit 60.01
17. Abortion 62.08
From the Birmingham jail that same year, King
pointed Americans back to the philosophical roots
of Jefferson’s Declaration: “To put it in terms of St.
Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that
is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.”
King saw a vital line running through Aquinas,
Jefferson, and Lincoln to Americans answering the
call of the civil rights movement. The results of this
survey today suggest that this line of historical mem-
ory King so powerfully evoked is beginning to fade
among college graduates.
• Almost 90% know “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable
rights referred to in the Declaration. But
18. Power to Declare War 62.66%
19. Three Branches of Government 64.43
20. Definition of a Progressive Tax 64.48
21. Federal Branches and Foreign Policy 67.78
22. U.S. – Soviet Tension in 1962 75.47
23. World War II Enemies 77.71
24. Electoral College 78.19
25. FDR’s Government Programs 79.20
26. Scopes “Monkey Trial” 81.32
27. Sputnik 81.80
28. First Amendment Freedoms 82.22
29. M. L. King’s “I Have a Dream” 85.26
30. Powers of the Federal Government 85.56
31. Susan B. Anthony 87.24
32. Commander in Chief 89.61
33. Declaration of Independence 89.85

only 34% know Aristotle and Aquinas
would concur in the basic principle that
“certain permanent moral and political
truths are accessible to human reason.”
• Eighty-two percent can name at least one
right or freedom in the First Amendment,
but only 24% know the main issue of the
Lincoln–Douglas debates was whether slav-
ery should be allowed to expand into new
territories.
• Eighty-five percent know King’s “I Have a
Dream” speech expressed his hope for racial
justice, but only 24% recognize the language
of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Overall, the survey shows that bachelor’s-degree
holders tend to know twentieth-century American his-
tory better than free-market economics and themes
that pre-date the twentieth century, especially constitu-
tional principles and the founding and Civil War eras.
This is partly due to a bias toward twentieth-cen-
tury themes in pre-college education, and although
there is evidence that colleges begin to reverse this
bias, earning a bachelor’s degree does not close this
significant gap in civic knowledge.
“And so even though we face the difficulties of
today and tomorrow, I still have a dream,” King said
at the Lincoln Memorial. “It is a dream deeply rooted
in the American dream.” To keep that dream alive,
colleges must do a better job teaching our historical
and philosophical foundations.
“When the architects of our republic wrote
the magnificent words of the Constitution
and the Declaration of Independence, they
were signing a promissory note to which
every American was to fall heir.”
– Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
www.americancivicliteracy.org 17
College Graduates’
Economic Illiteracy
A r e C o l l e g e G r a d uat e s prepared to de-
liberate wisely on the free market and public policy? This
chart details how graduates did on some fundamental eco-
nomics questions, and includes the most popular incorrect
answer for each question. Whether the question concerns
“the Fed,” fiscal policy, trade, or free enterprise in general,
“College Joe” appears to be economically illiterate.
Which of the following is a policy tool of the
Federal Reserve?
• 56.5% answered correctly
• 20.7% selected the incorrect answer:
Increasing or decreasing government spending
International trade and specialization most often
lead to which of the following?
• 47.5% answered correctly
• 20.9% selected the incorrect answer:
A decrease in a nation’s economic growth in
the long term
Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
• 53.5% answered correctly
• 13.4% selected the incorrect answer:
Government implements policies that favor
businesses over consumers
Business profit is:
• 60.0% answered correctly
• 14.1% selected the incorrect answer: Assets
minus liabilities
Which of the following fiscal policy combinations
would a government most likely follow to stimulate
economic activity when the economy is in a severe
recession?
• 43.0% answered correctly
• 35.2% selected the incorrect answer:
Decreasing both taxes and spending
Free markets typically secure more economic prosper-
ity than government’s centralized planning because:
• 16.9% answered correctly
• 40.8% selected the incorrect answer: More
tax revenue can be generated from free enterprise
18 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

Are You Sma rter Than a P oli t i ci an ?

o f t h e 2 , 5 0 8 Pe o p l e surveyed, 164 say they have held an elected government office at least once in
their life. Their average score on the civic literacy test is 44%, compared to 49% for those who have not held an
elected office. Officeholders are less likely than other respondents to correctly answer 29 of the 33 test questions.
This table shows the “knowledge gap” for each question: the difference between the percentage of common citizens
who answered correctly and the percentage of officeholders who answered correctly.

Elected Knowledge
Theme of Question Citizens politicians Gap

1. U.S. – Soviet Tension in 1962 70.09% 56.51% -13.58%

2. Declaration of Independence 83.09 69.78 -13.31
3. Sputnik 74.10 62.82 -11.28
4. Definition of Free Enterprise 41.45 32.08 -9.37
5. M. L. King’s “I Have a Dream” 80.50 71.50 -9.00
6. Electoral College 65.88 57.31 -8.57
7. Scopes “Monkey Trial” 67.76 59.21 -8.55
8. Susan B. Anthony 80.84 72.98 -7.86
9. Power to Declare War 53.60 45.82 -7.78
10. Business Profit 49.11 41.38 -7.73
11. International Trade 37.47 30.45 -7.02
12. FDR’s Government Programs 66.63 59.73 -6.90
13. Abortion 50.77 43.94 -6.83
14. Federal Branches and Foreign Policy 54.71 48.39 -6.32
15. First Amendment Freedoms 79.58 73.32 -6.26
16. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas 29.49 23.29 -6.20
17. FDR and the Supreme Court 25.07 19.24 -5.83
18. Taxes and Government Spending 27.70 22.12 -5.58
19. Free Markets vs. Centralized Planning 16.25 10.71 -5.54
20. Action Prohibited by the Bill of Rights 26.41 21.24 -5.17
21. Commander in Chief 79.04 74.46 -4.58
22. Anti-Federalists and the Constitution 38.22 33.82 -4.40
23. Source of phrase “a wall of separation” 18.92 15.07 -3.85
24. Policy Tool of the Federal Reserve 43.12 40.48 -2.64
25. Powers of the Federal Government 75.01 72.69 -2.32
26. World War II Enemies 68.76 66.58 -2.18
27. The Puritans 19.10 17.32 -1.78
28. Definition of a Progressive Tax 51.26 49.97 -1.29
29. Three Branches of Government 49.65 49.32 -0.33
30. Definition of a Public Good 27.60 28.03 0.43
31. Gettysburg Address 21.06 22.95 1.89
32. Fiscal Policy for Economic Stimulus 36.07 39.93 3.86
33. Lincoln–Douglas Debates 19.06 23.62 4.56

Additional Finding
T
Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public
he ISI civic Literacy survey was not
designed to test the civic knowledge of elected
officials, but it did discover evidence of an inter-
esting pattern that may merit further exploration.
All survey respondents were asked whether they
have ever engaged in any of 13 different political and
civic activities. These included, for example, register-
ing to vote, signing a petition, contacting a public
official, publishing a letter to the editor, and whether
they have ever been elected to a government office.
Among the 2,508 respondents, 164 say they have
been elected to a government office at least once. This
sub-sample of officeholders yields a startling result:
elected officials score lower than the general public. tution gives Congress the power to declare
Those who have held elective office earn an aver-
age score of 44% on the civic literacy test, which is
five percentage points lower than the average score of
49% for those who have never been elected. It would
be most interesting to explore whether this statisti-
cally significant result is maintained across larger
samples of elected officials.
The elected officeholders come from the ranks of
Democrats (40%), Republicans (31%), Independents
(21%), and those who say they belong to no party or
indicate no affiliation (8%). None were asked to spec-
ify what office they held, so the proportion in which
they held local, state, or federal positions is unknown.
Not all officeholders do poorly, of course. Some
elected officials rank among the highest scorers. But
the failure rate on the test among those who have
won public office is higher (74%) than among those
who have not (71%). Officeholders scored lower on
all sub-themes of the test: political history, cultural
institutions, foreign relations, and market economy.
In each of the following areas, for example, of-
ficeholders do more poorly than non-officeholders:
• Seventy-nine percent of those who have
been elected to government office do not
know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits
establishing an official religion for the U.S.
www.americancivicliteracy.org 19
• Thirty percent do not know that “life, lib-
erty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the
inalienable rights referred to in the Decla-
ration of Independence.
• Twenty-seven percent cannot name even
one right or freedom guaranteed by the
First Amendment.
• Forty-three percent do not know what the
Electoral College does. One in five thinks it
either “trains those aspiring for higher po-
litical office” or “was established to supervise
the first televised presidential debates.”
• Fifty-four percent do not know the Consti-
war. Thirty-nine percent think that power
belongs to the president, and 10% think it
belongs to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Only 32% can properly define the free en-
terprise system, and only 41% can identify
business profit as “revenue minus expenses.”
On some questions, Americans who have held
elected office do better than Americans who have not.
They are a little more likely, for example, to recog-
nize the language of the Gettysburg Address (23% to
21%) and to know that the question of whether slav-
ery should be allowed to expand into new territories
was the main issue in the Lincoln–Douglas debates
(25% to 20%).
Officeholders and non-officeholders find it equal-
ly difficult to identify the three branches of govern-
ment. Only 49% of each group can name the legisla-
tive, executive, and judicial.
20 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
Conclusion
W
A Call to Reform
hen jefferson, Madison, and
other leading Virginians signed the plan for the
University of Virginia, they knew it needed to be
compelling to the legislature that commissioned it.
For the university to have a claim to state fund-
ing, it needed a public purpose.
The principle still applies. Given that most citi-
zens never attend college, what do they get from sub-
sidizing it?
One benefit envisioned by Jefferson and Madison
was that the university would preserve the nation’s
memory and increase its general store of knowledge.
“And it cannot be but that each generation suc-
ceeding to the knowledge acquired by all those who
preceded it, adding to it their own acquisitions and
discoveries, and handing the mass down for successive
and constant accumulation, must advance the knowl-
edge and well-being of mankind,” said the Rockfish
Gap report.
These Founding Fathers also restated their convic-
tion that the university would create leaders to preserve
liberty: “Nor must we omit to mention, among the
benefits of education, the incalculable advantage of
training up able counselors to administer the affairs
of our country in all its departments—legislative, ex-
ecutive, and judiciary—and to bear their proper share
in the councils of our national government; nothing
more than education advancing the prosperity, the
power, and the happiness of the nation.”
To this end, Jefferson and Madison later led the
university’s board of visitors in making specific pro-
posals for the civics curriculum. It included works
by John Locke and Algernon Sidney for “the general
principles of liberty,” the Declaration of Indepen-
dence for the “distinctive principles” of the U.S. gov-
ernment, The Federalist for the “genuine meaning”
of the U.S. Constitution, and Washington’s Farewell
Address for “political lessons of peculiar value.”
This ISI report—Our Fading Heritage: Americans
Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions—
demonstrates that Americans today expect no less
from our colleges than the founders did. A majority
believes that colleges should prepare citizen leaders by
teaching America’s heritage.
It also demonstrates that colleges are not fulfill-
ing this mission. Americans fail the test of civic liter-
acy—even if they have a bachelor’s degree.
ISI’s previous civic literacy surveys have discov-
ered that greater civic learning goes hand-in-hand
with more active citizenship, and we found the same
phenomenon this year: Americans who fulfill their
civic obligations beyond voting are more knowledge-
able about their country’s history and institutions.
This is an important finding, and ISI will be exploring
the nexus between civic knowledge and civic partici-
pation in a more detailed fashion in future reports.
Our Fading Heritage also discovered that particu-
lar attitudes about America’s founding documents
and principles are highly correlated with a respon-
dent’s level of civic knowledge, suggesting that there
may be further relationships between the amount of
civic knowledge a student gains while at college and
his or her particular beliefs about America’s institu-
tions, beliefs that are formed both before and during
the college experience. This relationship will also re-
ceive closer attention in forthcoming ISI studies.
But we have already learned the unsettling truth
that although Jefferson and Madison expected colleges
to train able administrators for the “legislative, execu-
tive, and judiciary,” many college graduates today can-
not even name the three branches of government.
 www.americancivicliteracy.org 21

I S I G r at e f u l ly
t h a nk s t h e f o l l owing
s u pp o rt e r s o f t h e
A m e r i c a n Ci v i c
ISI therefore calls upon administrators, trustees, Li t e r a c y P ro g r a m
faculty, donors, taxpayers, parents, and elected offi-
cials to reevaluate collegiate curricula and standards
of accountability. For example: The Armstrong Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. J. Bayard Boyle Jr.

• Do colleges require courses in American
history, politics, economics, and other core The Lynde and Harry Bradley
areas? Foundation
• Do colleges assess the civic or overall learn-
ing of their graduates? Challenge Foundation
• Do elected officials link college appropria-
tions to real measures of civic or overall Chase Foundation of Virginia
learning?
The Cortopassi Institute
• Do parents make college selection choices
based upon a school’s actual academic per- The Hon. and Mrs. W. L. Hanley Jr.
formance?
Thornton D. and Elizabeth S.
For the past three years, ISI has documented the Hooper Foundation
failure of America’s institutions of higher learning to
transmit to their students a basic understanding of The Huston Foundation
the fundamental history, texts, and institutions of the
The JM Foundation
American republic. For too long, America’s colleges
and universities have been evaluated not on their ac- Garvey Kansas Foundation
tual academic performance, but primarily on their past
prestige and endowments. Now that the verdict of fail- F. M. Kirby Foundation
ure is in, and with tuitions continuing to skyrocket, it
is time for leaders inside and outside of the academy Koret Foundation
with a stake in the future of American higher educa-
Philip M. McKenna Foundation
tion to roll up their sleeves and get to work addressing
the shortcomings documented in ISI’s civic literacy Sarah Scaife Foundation
reports. The time for reform is now, and ISI looks for-
ward to working with all citizens of good will eager to Stuart Family Foundation
improve the quality of collegiate civic education.
Jefferson and Madison hoped to persuade de- John Templeton Foundation
cision-makers in their era to found a college. ISI
Mr. Richard W. Weekley
hopes to have success in re-founding Jefferson and
Madison’s vision for higher education. And there is
plenty at stake. The printing of this report was made possible,
If we fail to teach our children how American in part, thanks to the generous support of
freedom was established and preserved, we cannot Mr. Michael Jude Lopitz.
expect them to pass it on to future generations.
22 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

W e ig ht ing Ca lcul at i on s
Total U.S. Total Survey Weight Weight Weight
No. % No. % White Black Other
Total 225,633,342 2,508
Male 18 to 24 years 15,326,044 6.79%
Less than HS or HS Graduate 8,714,397 3.86 80 3.19% 1.10 1.80 1.20
Some College or Associates 5,571,125 2.47 41 1.63 1.40 2.22 1.50
Bachelor’s Degree 976,599 0.43 19 0.76 0.55 0.01 0.57
Graduate Degree 63,923 0.03 3 0.12 0.23 0.00 0.24
Male 25 to 34 years 20,249,512 8.97
Less than HS or HS Graduate 9,520,735 4.22 57 2.27 1.70 2.70 1.80
Some College or Associates 5,542,208 2.46 48 1.91 1.20 1.90 1.20
Bachelor’s Degree 3,818,398 1.69 49 1.95 0.83 1.30 0.87
Graduate Degree 1,368,171 0.61 32 1.28 0.01 0.02 0.48
Male 35 to 44 years 21,948,874 9.73
Less than HS or HS Graduate 9,997,142 4.43 47 1.87 2.00 3.25 2.00
Some College or Associates 5,709,650 2.53 47 1.87 1.30 2.00 1.30
Bachelor’s Degree 4,019,304 1.78 83 3.31 0.03 0.05 0.54
Graduate Degree 2,222,778 0.99 48 1.91 0.02 0.03 0.51
Male 45 to 64 years 36,554,880 16.20
Less than HS or HS Graduate 15,702,808 6.96 134 5.34 1.20 1.90 1.30
Some College or Associates 9,821,354 4.35 90 3.59 1.10 1.80 1.20
Bachelor’s Degree 6,432,329 2.85 103 4.11 0.04 1.00 0.69
Graduate Degree 4,598,389 2.04 79 3.15 0.03 0.05 0.65
Male 65 years & older 15,606,675 6.92
Less than HS or HS Graduate 8,683,778 3.85 80 3.19 1.10 1.80 1.20
Some College or Associates 3,082,484 1.37 52 2.07 0.02 0.03 0.66
Bachelor’s Degree 2,031,268 0.90 51 2.03 0.02 0.03 0.44
Graduate Degree 1,809,145 0.80 55 2.19 0.02 0.03 0.37
Female 18 to 24 years 14,374,474 6.37
Less than HS or HS Graduate 6,684,718 2.96 68 2.71 0.03 1.50 1.00
Some College or Associates 6,172,281 2.74 43 1.71 1.50 2.22 1.60
Bachelor’s Degree 1,400,582 0.62 17 0.68 0.01 0.01 0.92
Graduate Degree 116,893 0.05 3 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.43
Female 25 to 34 years 19,656,087 8.71
Less than HS or HS Graduate 7,214,157 3.20 49 1.95 1.50 2.22 1.60
Some College or Associates 6,119,037 2.71 44 1.75 1.40 2.22 1.50
Bachelor’s Degree 4,485,475 1.99 50 1.99 0.02 1.50 1.00
Graduate Degree 1,837,418 0.81 28 1.12 0.01 1.10 0.73
Female 35 to 44 years 21,943,757 9.73
Less than HS or HS Graduate 8,410,784 3.73 61 2.43 1.40 2.22 1.50
Some College or Associates 6,772,537 3.00 42 1.67 1.70 2.45 1.70
Bachelor’s Degree 4,524,048 2.01 57 2.27 0.02 1.30 0.88
Graduate Degree 2,236,388 0.99 46 1.83 0.02 0.03 0.54
Female 45 to 64 years 38,388,710 17.01
Less than HS or HS Graduate 16,582,096 7.35 161 6.42 0.06 1.75 1.10
Some College or Associates 11,414,003 5.06 133 5.30 0.05 1.40 0.95
Bachelor’s Degree 6,280,367 2.78 107 4.27 0.04 0.07 0.65
Graduate Degree 4,112,244 1.82 87 3.47 0.03 0.05 0.53
Female 65 years & older 21,584,329 9.57
Less than HS or HS Graduate 14,258,549 6.32 122 4.86 0.05 1.90 1.30
Some College or Associates 4,210,607 1.87 59 2.35 0.02 1.20 0.79
Bachelor’s Degree 1,904,998 0.84 51 2.03 0.02 0.03 0.42
Graduate Degree 1,210,175 0.54 31 1.24 0.01 0.02 0.43

Survey development
and Methodology
Survey Question Development
The total survey consisted of 118 questions. Thirty-
three of these questions tested for respondents’ civic
knowledge, while the remaining questions secured
information on their public philosophy (39 ques-
tions), civic behavior (29), and demographics (17).
Drs. Kenneth Dautrich, Richard Brake, and Gary
Scott coordinated the development of these questions
through a rigorous process of independent consulta-
tion, validity analyses, and scholarly review.
Thirteen of the 33 knowledge questions are tak-
en from previous ISI surveys developed by ISI faculty
advisors from universities around the country who
are listed on page 28. Nine of the civic knowledge
questions are taken from the U.S. Department of
Education’s 12th grade NAEP test, and six from the
U.S. naturalization exam. Two new knowledge ques-
tions were developed especially for this new survey
and three are drawn from an “American History
101” exam posted online by www.InfoPlease.com.
Additional consultation and scholarly review
concerning survey question development and final
formulation were secured from members of the Na-
tional Civic Literacy Board, listed on page 29, and
members of ISI’s professional staff.
Interview Technique
and Sample Size
The research approach used to conduct this survey
features a national random-digit-dial (RDD) sam-
pling design. A total of 2,508 American adults were
included in the sampling. They were interviewed by
telephone from April 17 to May 10, 2008.
The margin of error for the sample of 2,508
adults is +/- 2.0 percentage points at the 95% level of
confidence. When reporting on subgroups of adults
(e.g., men, women, college graduates, etc.), the sam-
pling error is higher. The sampling and interview
methodology was designed by Dr. Kenneth Dautrich
at the University of Connecticut.
Survey Population
The telephone survey data can be taken to represent
a probability sample of all individuals who reside in
www.americancivicliteracy.org 23
households with residential telephone service in the
United States.
Randomized Sample Selection
The RDD telephone component generated random
samples of telephone households in the United States.
Within each telephone household, one respondent
was chosen utilizing the modified Trodahl/Carter in-
house selection technique. We asked for the youngest
male first, then if not available, the youngest female.
This technique removes the control of the person an-
swering the telephone deciding who participates in
the survey.
For this study, Braun Research, Inc., was com-
missioned to conduct the telephone data collection
utilizing RDD sampling through Survey Sampling
International (SSI). Using SSI’s standard RDD meth-
odology, a sample was drawn with a sample size equal
to the number of completed interviews.
Weighting
In order to make appropriate projections to the sur-
vey population, weight has been applied to the data.
Weight represents a compound probability that ad-
justs a sample to match the population characteris-
tics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population
of the United States. The weighting process adjusts
for error inherent in the sampling methodology. The
frame of the general population was aligned to the
national population, as taken from the 2006 Ameri-
can Community Survey, and a weight was applied
based on age, gender, education, and race. The full
weighting calculations are detailed on the opposite
page.
Analyses and Report Writing
The various diagnostics and statistical analyses of
the raw data matrix, including statistical inferences
based upon multiple regression analyses, were inde-
pendently conducted and then jointly corroborated
by Dr. Kenneth Dautrich at the University of Con-
necticut and Dr. Gary Scott at ISI. ISI visiting fellow
Terence Jeffrey provided the technical writing for
this report.
24 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions
2008 Civic LIteracy Test
Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen?
average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can
you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams. Go
to www.americancivicliteracy.org to take the test online and see the detailed results for each question.
Political History
1. Which of the following are the inalienable rights
referred to in the Declaration of Independence?
a. life, liberty, and property
b. honor, liberty, and peace
c. liberty, health, and community
d. life, respect, and equal protection
e. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
2. In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a series
of government programs that became known as:
a. the Great Society
b. the Square Deal
c. the New Deal
d. the New Frontier
e. supply-side economics
3. What are the three branches of government?
Source: Old Naturalization Exam, U.S. History and Govern-
ment, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, No. 20,
www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/Flashcard_questions.pdf
4. What was the main issue in the debates between
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
a. Is slavery morally wrong?
b. Should slavery be allowed to expand to new
territories?
The
c. Do Southern states have the constitutional
right to leave the union?
d. Are free African Americans citizens of the
United States?
2006 NAEP U.S. History Test of 12th Graders,
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls/startsearch.asp
5. The United States Electoral College:
a. trains those aspiring for higher political office
b. was established to supervise the first televised
presidential debates
c. is otherwise known as the U.S. Congress
d. is a constitutionally mandated assembly that
elects the president
e. was ruled undemocratic by the Supreme Court
6. The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
a. prayer in public school
b. discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
c. the ownership of guns by private individuals
d. establishing an official religion for the United
States
e. the president from vetoing a line item in a
spending bill
7. What was the source of the following phrase:
“Government of the people, by the people, for the
people”?
a. the speech “I Have a Dream”
b. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address
John, David. “American History 101?”
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/ushistory1.html

ww w. amer ic anc ivic l it er ac y. o r g
8. In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared
that important parts of the New Deal were
unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded
by threatening to:
a. impeach several Supreme Court justices
b. eliminate the Supreme Court
c. appoint additional Supreme Court justices
who shared his views
d. override the Supreme Court’s decisions by
gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses
of Congress
2006 NAEP U.S. History Test of 12th Graders
9. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to
the federal government. What is one power of the
federal government?
New Naturalization Exam, October 1, 2008, History and
Government, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, No.
41, www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/100q.pdf
10. Name one right or freedom guaranteed by the First
Amendment.
New Naturalization Exam
11. What impact did the Anti-Federalists have on the
United States Constitution?
a. their arguments helped lead to the adoption of
the Bill of Rights
b. their arguments helped lead to the abolition of
the slave trade
c. their influence ensured that the federal
government would maintain a standing army
d. their influence ensured that the federal
government would have the power to tax
2006 NAEP U.S. History Test of 12th Graders
12. Which of the following statements is true about
abortion?
a. it was legal in most states in the 1960s
b. the Supreme Court struck down most legal
restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
c. the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v.
Ferguson that underage women must notify
their parents of an impending abortion
www.americancivicliteracy.org 25
d. the National Organization for Women has
lobbied for legal restrictions on it
e. it is currently legal only in cases of rape or
incest, or to protect the life of the mother
13. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would con-
cur that:
a. all moral and political truth is relative to one’s
time and place
b. moral ideas are best explained as material
accidents or byproducts of evolution
c. values originating in one’s conscience cannot
be judged by others
d. Christianity is the only true religion and
should rule the state
e. certain permanent moral and political truths
are accessible to human reason
Cultural Institutions
14. The Puritans:
a. opposed all wars on moral grounds
b. stressed the sinfulness of all humanity
c. believed in complete religious freedom
d. colonized Utah under the leadership of
Brigham Young
e. were Catholic missionaries escaping religious
persecution
15. The phrase that in America there should be “a wall
of separation” between church and state appears in:
a. George Washington’s Farewell Address
b. the Mayflower Compact
c. the Constitution
d. the Declaration of Independence
e. Thomas Jefferson’s letters
26 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

2008 Civic Literacy Test continued

16. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Foreign Relations

Luther King Jr.:
a. argued for the abolition of slavery 20. Who is the commander in chief of the U.S. military?
b. advocated black separatism New Naturalization Exam
c. morally defended affirmative action
d. expressed his hopes for racial justice and 21. Name two countries that were our enemies during
brotherhood World War II.
Old Naturalization Exam
e. proposed that several of America’s founding
ideas were discriminatory
22. What part of the government has the power to
17. Sputnik was the name given to the first: declare war?
a. telecommunications system a. Congress
b. animal to travel to space b. the president
c. hydrogen bomb c. the Supreme Court
d. manmade satellite d. the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Old Naturalization Exam
John, David. “American History 101?”

18. Susan B. Anthony was a leader of the movement to 23. In October 1962 the United States and the Soviet
a. guarantee women the right to vote in national Union came close to war over the issue of Soviet:
elections a. control of East Berlin
b. guarantee former slaves the right to vote b. missiles in Cuba
c. ensure that harsher laws against criminals were c. support of the Ho Chi Minh regime in Viet Nam
passed d. military support of the Marxist regime in
d. reduce the authority of the Constitution of Afghanistan
the United States 2006 NAEP U.S. History Test of 12th Graders
2006 NAEP U.S. History Test of 12th Graders
24. In the area of United States foreign policy, Congress
19. The Scopes “Monkey Trial” was about: shares power with the:
a. freedom of the press a. president
b. teaching evolution in the schools b. Supreme Court
c. prayer in the schools c. state governments
d. education in private schools d. United Nations
2006 NAEP Civics Test of 12th Graders
John, David. “American History 101?”

Market Economy
25. Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
a. experts managing the nation’s commerce are
appointed by elected officials
b. individual citizens create, exchange, and control
goods and resources
c. charity, philanthropy, and volunteering decrease
d. demand and supply are decided through
majority vote
e. government implements policies that favor
businesses over consumers

ww w. amer ic anc ivic l it er ac y. o r g
26. Business profit is:
a. cost minus revenue
b. assets minus liabilities
c. revenue minus expenses
d. selling price of a stock minus its purchase price
e. earnings minus assets
27. Free markets typically secure more economic
prosperity than government’s centralized planning
because:
a. the price system utilizes more local knowledge
of means and ends
b. markets rely upon coercion, whereas
government relies upon voluntary compliance
with the law
c. more tax revenue can be generated from free
enterprise
d. property rights and contracts are best enforced
by the market system
e. government planners are too cautious in
spending taxpayers’ money
28. A progressive tax:
a. encourages more investment from those with
higher incomes
b. is illustrated by a 6% sales tax
c. requires those with higher incomes to pay a
higher ratio of taxes to income
d. requires every income class to pay the same
ratio of taxes to income
e. earmarks revenues for poverty reduction
29. A flood-control levee (or national defense) is
considered a public good because:
a. citizens value it as much as bread and medicine
b. a resident can benefit from it without directly
paying for it
c. government construction contracts increase
employment
d. insurance companies cannot afford to replace
all houses after a flood
e. government pays for its construction, not
citizens
www.americancivicliteracy.org 27
30. Which of the following fiscal policy combinations
would a government most likely follow to
stimulate economic activity when the economy is
in a severe recession?
a. increasing both taxes and spending
b. increasing taxes and decreasing spending
c. decreasing taxes and increasing spending
d. decreasing both taxes and spending
2006 NAEP Economics Test of 12th Graders
31. International trade and specialization most often
lead to which of the following?
a. an increase in a nation’s productivity
b. a decrease in a nation’s economic growth in
the long term
c. an increase in a nation’s import tariffs
d. a decrease in a nation’s standard of living
2006 NAEP Economics Test of 12th Graders
32. Which of the following is a policy tool of the
Federal Reserve?
a. raising or lowering income taxes
b. increasing or decreasing unemployment benefits
c. buying or selling government securities
d. increasing or decreasing government spending
2006 NAEP Economics Test of 12th Graders
33. If taxes equal government spending, then:
a. government debt is zero
b. printing money no longer causes inflation
c. government is not helping anybody
d. tax per person equals government spending
per person
e. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are
absent
Take the test, find out the correct answers,
and see how well you score by visiting
www.americancivicliteracy.org
28 O u r Fa d ing H e r i tag e : Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions

I S I A m e r i c a n Ci v i c Li t e r a c y
About the p ro g r a m S ta ff

T
Intercollegiate
Studies Institute Dr. Richard Brake,
Director of University Stewardship
he Intercollegiate Studies Insti- Patrick Ford, Managing Director of Higher
tute (ISI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501 (c)(3) Education Research and Outreach
tax-exempt educational organization founded in
1953 to further in successive generations of American Terence Jeffrey, Visiting Fellow, Civic Literacy
college youth a better understanding of the economic, Paul Rhein, Director of Information Technology
political, and ethical values that sustain a free and hu-
mane society. With ISI’s volunteer representatives at Dr. Gary Scott, Senior Research Fellow,
more than 900 colleges, and with more than 65,000 ISI Civic Literacy
student and faculty members on virtually every campus
in the country, ISI directs tens of thousands of young Fa c u lt y A dv i s o r s
people each year to a wide array of educational pro-
grams that deepen their understanding of the American
Dr. David D. Corey, Baylor University,
ideal of ordered liberty.
Political Philosophy
ISI annually conducts more than 300 educational
programs around the country, including lectures, de- Prof. Eleanor D. Craig, University of Delaware,
bates, student conferences, and summer schools. ISI Economics
also offers graduate fellowships for aspiring college
teachers and distributes more than three million copies Dr. Kenneth Dautrich, University of
of ISI books, journals, and affiliated student newspapers Connecticut, American Politics
on college and university campuses across the country.
Dr. Andrew Foshee, McNeese State University,
These programs work at different levels and in different
Economics
ways to nurture in the rising generations an appreciation
of our nation’s founding principles—limited govern- Dr. Peter Gibbon, Boston University, Education
ment, individual liberty, private property, a free market
economy, personal responsibility, and ethical standards. Dr. Sanford Ikeda, State University of New
For more information about ISI, visit www.isi.org. York, Purchase College, Economics
In 2003, ISI launched the American Civic Liter-
Dr. A. James McAdams, University of Notre
acy Program to study and strengthen the teaching of
Dame, International and Security Affairs
America’s history and institutions at the college level.
ISI contracted with the University of Connecticut’s De- Dr. John Quinn, Salve Regina University,
partment of Public Policy in both 2006 and 2007 to History
conduct annual national surveys in order to learn the
extent to which colleges and universities are successfully Dr. Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State
teaching America’s history and institutions to under- University, History
graduate students. Visit www.americancivicliteracy.org Dr. Bradley C. S. Watson, Saint Vincent
for the full reports describing these path-breaking sur- College, Political Philosophy
vey results.
The American Civic Literacy Program is governed Dr. R. V. Young, North Carolina State
by ISI’s National Civic Literacy Board and is part of University, English
ISI’s University Stewardship Initiative.
All photos and graphics used in this report are © iStockPhoto except for the ISI logo, the report covers on page 3, the John Trumbull painting on page 11
(public domain), and the Paula Abdul photo on page 13 (© Getty Images).
 ISI’ s Nation al
Civic L it eracy Boa rd
Chairman
Lt. General Josiah Bunting III
President, H. Frank Guggenheim Foundation
Superintendent Emeritus, Virginia Military Institute

Members

Mrs. Ramona Bass Mr. Roger Kimball

Vice President,
Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation
Mr. T. William Boxx
Chairman/CEO,
Philip M. McKenna Foundation
Hon. John Bridgeland
President/CEO, Civic Enterprises
Hon. T. Kenneth Cribb Jr.
President, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Editor and Publisher, New Criterion
Mr. Lewis E. Lehrman
Senior Partner and Chairman,
Lehrman & Company LLC
Mr. Ross Mackenzie
Editorial Page Contributing Columnist,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Hon. John O. Marsh Jr.
Former Secretary of the Army

Hon. Pete du Pont Mr. Carlos Moseley

Policy Chairman,
National Center for Policy Analysis
Hon. John Engler
President/CEO,
National Association of Manufacturers
Dr. Robert P. George
McCormick Chair in Jurisprudence
and Director of the Madison Program,
Princeton University
Dr. Victor Davis Hanson
Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Hon. Eugene W. Hickok
Former Deputy Secretary of Education
Chairman Emeritus, New York Philharmonic
Mr. Michael Novak
George Frederick Jewett Scholar,
American Enterprise Institute
Ms. Dorothy Rabinowitz
Editorial Board Member,
Wall Street Journal
Vice Adm. John Ryan, USN (Ret.)
Chief Executive,
Center for Creative Leadership
Mr. Thomas A. Saunders III
Former Managing Partner,
Morgan Stanley
www.americancivicliteracy.org

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

American Civic Literacy Program

Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc.

3901 Centerville Road
P.O. Box 4431
Wilmington, DE 19807-0431

Phone (302) 652-4600

Fax (302) 652-1760