By Stephanie Doute, CAE, Chief Executive Officer, Teach Democracy
Amid deep polarization and public concern about the health of American democracy, civic education is emerging as a rare point of national consensus. New research affirms what educators, families, and civic leaders have long argued: Americans value civic learning.
The 2025 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey reports that 70% of U.S. adults can now name all three branches of government, a significant improvement from previous years. Nearly four in five (79%) can identify freedom of speech as a First Amendment right, also the highest recorded in the survey’s history. These findings suggest that more Americans are retaining basic knowledge about how their government works and the rights it protects.
At first glance, this might seem like unalloyed good news. But the deeper context tells a more complicated story. These knowledge gains come at a time of eroding trust in institutions, rising partisan hostility, and sharply contested narratives about the country’s past, present, and future. As the Annenberg Public Policy Center notes, greater knowledge is not a guarantee of civic engagement or trust in institutions, and many Americans express concern about the functioning of democratic systems even as they demonstrate increased familiarity with them. (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2025.) Americans may better understand their constitutional system, even as many feel it’s not functioning as intended.
In parallel, a recent USC survey from the EdPolicy Hub and the Center for Applied Research found overwhelming public support for civic education in schools, with 97% of U.S. adults agreeing that preparing students to be good citizens is a key priority. (Hashemzadeh, 2025.) Support spans political lines, particularly around foundational topics: the Constitution, how to evaluate opposing viewpoints, and how to detect misinformation.
Taken together, these findings offer a nuanced picture. Americans are not turning away from democracy. They are reaching for tools to navigate its complexity, strengthen its functioning, and rebuild trust with it. They want the next generation to be equipped not only with knowledge, but with discernment and civic confidence.
Teach Democracy’s work fits squarely into this landscape. While we see progress in increasing the knowledge of students and adults, we also know democracy requires more: the ability to critically deliberate, to disagree constructively, and to engage across difference. Our programs help schools support these deeper dimensions of civic development, not in isolation, but integrated with the core academic mission and standards alignment.
“People can’t cherish, safeguard, or exercise their constitutionally protected rights unless they know that they have them and understand how effective use of them sustains our system of government,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “Civics education at home and in schools should be a high priority as a result.” (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2025.)
As these surveys show, civic education is not a partisan wedge. It is common ground. In a moment defined by division, that common ground may be one of our most valuable democratic assets.
References
“Americans’ Knowledge of Civics Increases, Annenberg Survey Finds.” The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, 11 September 2025, https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-knowledge-of-civics-increases-annenberg-survey-finds/. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Hashemzadeh, Kianoosh. “While most Americans strongly support civics education in schools, a partisan divide persists around DEI policies and free speech.” USC Rossier School of Education, 6 March 2025, https://rossier.usc.edu/news-insights/news/2025/february/while-most-americans-strongly-support-civics-education-schools-partisan-divide-dei-policies-and-free. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
