This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: 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.
Conducted Aug. 6–9, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 1,034 U.S. adults, the survey finds that 65% can name the executive, legislative and judicial branches, which is not a statistically significant change from 70% in 2025 and 65% in 2024. Knowledge of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment shows one significant change from the prior year's survey. When asked in an open-ended question whether they could name the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, 73% cited freedom of speech, significantly fewer than the 79% who named it in 2025 but statistically the same as in 2024 (74%).
Responses for the other four rights do not differ significantly from the past two years. Fewer than half (43%) name freedom of religion, and fewer than one-third name freedom of assembly (31%) or freedom of the press (29%). Just over 1 in 10 (12%) name the right to petition the government.
In all, 9% of respondents correctly name all five First Amendment protections, while 24% name none of them. A quarter (25%) incorrectly cite the right to bear arms, which is protected by the Second Amendment, not the First. "Ignorance is costly," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director emerita of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
"You can't protect and cherish rights that you don't know you have." Birthright citizenship: As U.S. courts weigh the meaning of birthright citizenship, the survey finds that most Americans know the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of people who are in the country illegally. Over half (56%) of U.S. adults say it is "very" or "somewhat" inaccurate to say that people who are in the country illegally do not have any rights under the Constitution, while 44% say it is accurate.
The Supreme Court has long held that the Constitution's core protections are written in terms of "persons," not citizens, and apply to people in the United States regardless of immigration status. Similarly, 76% correctly say that children born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are U.S. citizens if neither of their parents is a citizen (birthright citizenship). This year's survey also asked about knowledge of constitutional provisions related to veto power, the role of the Supreme Court and states' rights: Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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