Study: How Well Do NJ Residents Understand Federal Government?
By David Madden
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- There are mixed results from a study of New Jersey residents conducted by a pair of Stockton University political science professors. They wanted to know how well people knew the basics about the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court.
More than half of the 800 people surveyed could not name a single Supreme Court justice. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed did not know how many justices were on the Supreme Court of the United States
Forty four percent thought a high court decision could be appealed to the President. But study co-author Linda Wharton says the results aren't all bad.
"Eighty-five percent knew that our Constitution could be amended and 75 percent correctly identified the precise process for amending the Constitution."
She notes a number of online sites, one put together by retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, that provide information on the Constitution and federal law requires one day a year be set aside in schools to reflect on the document's importance.