How Much Do You Know about Your Government?

Take the online Civic Literacy quiz.

The Oblogger took it, and while I won't divulge my score, you can sleep soundly knowing it was well above the national average.

Sadly, that's not saying much.

Some statistics regarding the quiz:

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.

...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.

We always joke that TV makes you stupid. Here's the proof:

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.

According to their findings, what's the best way to increase your civic literacy? Have political conversations and discussions with others. Maybe that's the problem. Americans have a long-held aversion to discussing politics out in the open.

At Thanksgiving dinner tables around the country, two things will NOT be on the table: politics and religion.

(Have to digest that turkey.)

And here's the scariest statistic:

"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.

Yikes!