Posted: 12/05/03
Students don't know much of First Amendment
WASHINGTON (RNS)–The nation's undergraduates are mostly ignorant about the First Amendment's proclamation about freedom of religion.
A new survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education found 30 percent of students overall named freedom of religion when they were asked to name any of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
But when asked to specify which freedom is addressed first in the amendment, only 10 percent of public college students and 5 percent of private college students correctly said freedom of religion.
“If the American experiment in liberty is to survive, citizens must both keep alive and cherish the free exchange of ideas, values and convictions,” said Alan Charles Kores, president of the foundation. “These survey results are disheartening, but they unfortunately are not surprising.”
Far more students overall–73 percent–mentioned freedom of speech when asked to name any specific right guaranteed by the First Amendment. Twenty percent cited right of assembly and association, and 6 percent mentioned right to petition.
The survey was conducted between Feb. 6 and April 7 by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut.
It was funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. A total of 1,037 students were surveyed at 339 colleges and universities.
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