People keep telling us that high school students are becoming more and more stupid as years go by.
The college entrance tests point that out, and so does the alarmingly high rate of functional illiteracy among high school graduates.
Now George Gallup, in a survey published in the Washington Post, has more evidence that high school students are less and less educated. He tested 1,000 17 and 18 year olds across the country for their “civil illiteracy” and came up with some startling results.
Gallup presented the survey results at the National Municipal League conference on government, in Louisville.
The results of Gallup’s survey and an earlier survey of 17-year olds, the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that:
- Only three percent of the group could identify Hawaii and Alaska as the last two states to join the union.
- Twenty-five percent of the group did not realize that New Jersey is on the East Coast and that Oregon is on the West Coast.
- Only 38 percent of the group realized that you don’t have to vote a straight ticket in an election.
- Only 9 percent of the group realized that political convention made the selection of presidential nominees.
- Thirty-three percent did not know which party had a majority in Congress.
- Only four percent of the group could name the three presidents who served directly before Gerald Ford.
- Only 23 percent had any idea what the distance between San Francisco and New York is.
- Only 42 percent of the group had ever heard of the absentee ballot.
- Fifty percent of the students did not realize that the President did not appoint people to Congress.
- Thirty-three percent of the group thought that newspapers and magazines should not be allowed to print articles critical of the government.
- Sixty one percent did not realize that Mexico was more populous than Canada.
- Only 40 percent really knew what NATO stands for.
- Only 28 percent of the group came close to naming the population of the United States.
- Only 18 percent had any idea what detente meant.
- Only 15 percent knew that Ottawa was the capital of Canada.
- Barely 50 percent knew that each state had two senators and that the number of representatives is determined by population distribution.
- Less than 50 percent knew that the Senate must confirm Supreme Court nominees.
- Only 60 percent knew which war had states’ rights as an issue.
- Only 55 percent knew what country Josef Stalin was from.
- Only 57 percent knew that Russia fought on the side of the United States in World War II.
- Only 53 percent could match Golda Meir with Israel.
- Only 60 percent matched Indira Gandhi with India.
- Only 20 percent matched Marshal Tito with Yugoslavia.
The Washington Post quoted Anna Ochoa, president of the National Council of Social Studies, as saying “Social studies are receiving very low priority in the curriculum and the attrition rate of these courses is very high. Electives are being substituted for hardcore 1 government courses.”