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A third of Americans cannot name the three branches of government

A third of Americans cannot name the three branches of government
Phys.org Wednesday 16 September 2026, 12:20 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

Over a third of U.S. adults (35%) cannot name all three branches of the government, and under half can name four of the five rights protected by the First Amendment, according to the 2026 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. Of the five First Amendment rights, only freedom of speech is identified by more than half of survey respondents.

Over a third of U.S. adults (35%) cannot name all three branches of the government, and under half can name four of the five rights protected by the First Amendment, according to the 2026 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. Of the five First Amendment rights, only freedom of speech is identified by more than half of survey respondents.
Americans (ORG) U.S. (LOCATION) the Annenberg Public Policy Center (ORG) APPC (ORG) the University of Pennsylvania (ORG)
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