A new national poll has found that 80% of American adults believe the country places too little emphasis on civic education, marking a rare point of agreement across age, party, and geographic lines. The survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies for NBC News and sponsored by More Perfect and the Daniels Fund, polled 3,000 adults nationwide from May 29 to June 7. More than half of respondents said the country places “much too little” emphasis on teaching how government and democracy work, while another 29% said “somewhat too little.” Only 13% said the current level is about right, and almost no one said the country teaches too much.
The findings come as the United States prepares to mark 250 years of independence and as confidence in institutions hits new lows. John Bridgeland, co-founder of More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing democracy, said, “Eight out of ten Americans telling us we need more civic education is a wake-up call to educators and policymakers. People want to understand how their government works, the role of civil society, and how they can engage in helping to improve our union.”
The poll also revealed that more than half of Americans believe people share the same core values but disagree on policy, and that majorities see more uniting than dividing Americans across lines of gender, race, ethnicity, and immigration status. However, young and older Americans diverge sharply on national pride and views of the Constitution. Yet they largely agree that the “American Dream” is harder to achieve than it was a generation ago—a sentiment shared by 78% of all adults.
Hanna Skandera Grady, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund, a foundation dedicated to positively impacting American life, said, “This research confirms what we hear every day in communities across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming: people are hungry for the tools to participate in their democracy, not just watch from the sidelines. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, investing in civic knowledge and engagement among our nation's rising generation is more important than ever, and the answers are often already taking shape, emerging from local communities across the country.”
The poll's findings come as a wide range of civic education efforts are already underway nationwide. The National Civics Bee, of which the Daniels Fund is the founding sponsor, has expanded to all 50 states and draws students into civic competition outside the classroom. iCivics reaches roughly 145,000 teachers and 9 million students each year, with a new Rule of Law unit for high schoolers. The National Constitution Center's Civics Quest offers families a play-based way to explore American history together. Additionally, 44 Presidential Centers have come together for the first time around civic education and democratic renewal, a notable moment of cross-ideological alignment. More Perfect's In Pursuit initiative has generated nearly a million views with essays and insights about every U.S. president and first lady, ahead of an hour-long PBS documentary set for October 2026.
The implications of this consensus are significant for educators and policymakers. With a growing movement already answering the call for more civic education, the poll suggests that Americans are eager for tools to participate in democracy. The challenge will be to sustain and expand these efforts to meet the public's demand for understanding how government works and how citizens can engage effectively.
