Are American voters civically stupid?

If you're to believe a recent report by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, then you might want to say an extra prayer or two (or 12) for the future of our democracy this weekend.

In a report released last week, the ISI, a non-profit group that tracks civic knowledge of your fellow compatriots, found that 70 percent of 2,500 Americans who took a 33-question civics test were unable to achieve a passing grade. The average college graduate who took the test scored a 57 percent, otherwise known as an F. Even more disturbing, self-described elected officials earned an average of 44 percent.

So what kind of questions were these people unable to answer?

Questions like this doozey: What part of the government has the power to declare war? (Forty percent incorrectly answered the president. It's actually Congress.)

Or this one: What are the three branches of government? (Less than half knew they are the executive, legislative and judicial.)

And this stumper: What was the source of the following phrase: "Government of the people, for the people, by the people"? Only 21 percent correctly answered President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, while 56 percent of the respondents knew that Paula Abdul is a judge on American Idol.

"People may be listening to television experts talk about economic bailouts and the platforms of political candidates, but they apparently have little idea what our basic economic and political institutions are," ISI's Richard Brake said.

The guy might be right, but does it matter?

Mark Jendrysik, chairman of the University of North Dakota's political science department, doesn't think so.

"You could probably be an effective citizen and not know anything about Socrates," Jendrysik said. "You could make a nuclear physicist look stupid with this."

Jendrysik said surveys like the ISI's, which mirrors Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" bit, don't test someone's ability to become engaged in the civic process.

Sure, voters may not know the outcome of the Scopes Monkey Trial (hint: it had nothing to do primates using mouthwash), but can they identify issues that are important to them and then do something about it?

It's no secret that Americans traditionally score poorly on these types of civics tests. The Freedom Forum's annual State of the First Amendment report usually delivers dismal news about Americans' knowledge of their rights to self expression.

Take this year's report for example:

About 31 percent of respondents would not permit musicians to sing lyrics that others might find offensive. And only 56 percent could name "speech" as one of the five freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment.

Sad, but true.

So do yourself a favor this weekend and check out the test, it's online at www.americancivicliteracy.org.

Do a favor for democracy and give it to your neighbor, your children or a stranger on the street. Hopefully you'll find some better news.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@bismarcktribune.com. Read his blog Nodak Central at www.bismarcktribune.com/blog/?wnodakcentral.)