Taken from http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/... , the following test was administered to 2,508 people across the nation. The results?
More than 2,500 randomly selected Americans took ISI’s basic 33 question test on civic literacy and more than 1,700 people failed, with the average score 49 percent, or an "F." Elected officials scored even lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent and only 0.8 percent (or 21) of all surveyed earned an "A."
Absolutely stunning folks. 68% of 2,508 people failed.
You can take the test here: http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/...
More below the jump.
I finished taking the test a few minutes ago and was relieved to answer 31 of 33 correctly for a % of 93.94%.
I must say that I'm a little embarrassed by one of the questions I answered incorrectly as it is indeed something I should have known (#7). The other question I got wrong was one where I should have taken a little more time to read it and contemplate before answering (#33).
Either way, it still remains stunning that more than 1,700 of 2508 people failed the exam outright.
The PDF report is located at http://www.americancivicliteracy.org... and an additional write-up is located at http://www.americancivicliteracy.org...
That said, please everyone, take the test first.
The sheer fact that the American public is so poorly educated regarding our history is appalling in and of itself. That our elected leaders do even worse is unbelievably frightening considering they are the gate keepers of our rights, are in charge of running the nation, and setting education policy for the next generation.
"There is an epidemic of economic, political, and historical ignorance in our country," says Josiah Bunting, III, Chairman of ISI’s National Civic Literacy Board. "It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI’s civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned. How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don’t understand the American experience? Colleges can, and should, play an important role in curing this national epidemic of ignorance."
But even more surprising? See the following section regarding the impact of a formal education on the test results:
The average score among those who ended their formal education with a bachelor’s degree is 57 percent or an "F", which is only 13 percentage points higher than the average score of 44 percent earned by those who hold high school diplomas. And when you hold other noncollege influences constant, the gain from a college degree drops to about 6 percent, quite consistent with past ISI findings.
Further demonstrating the minimal influence of college in advancing civic literacy, ISI discovered that the civic knowledge gained from the combination of engaging in frequent conversations about public affairs, reading about current events and history and participating in advanced civic activities is greater than the gain from an expensive bachelor’s degree alone. Conversely, talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies and monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminish a respondent’s civic literacy.
I guess that explains how the so-called "MBA President" ended up being one of the worst in our nation's history.
Folks, I just don't know what to say.