Test Your Civic Literacy

About 125 million Americans cast ballots in the presidential election. How many of them do you think were actually moderately well-informed? If you take a look at the results of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's recent survey of American civic literacy, you might be a little concerned.

The Institute selected a random sample of 2,508 American adults and gave them a 33-question civics quiz. A few highlights from the results:

• Seventy-one percent of Americans fail the test, with an overall average score of 49%.
• Fewer than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government.
• Only 24% of college graduates know the First Amendment prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States.

And, it's not like the people we are voting for are any better. On average, public office holders scored 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.

Take the quiz to test your civic literacy.