The State of the First Amendment 2007 Survey is complete and by the looks of it, it sounds like many Americans are wishy-washy about their stance on certain First Amendment rights.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
When you go over the results of this survey, you realize that while most people still believe in the whole idea of the First Amendment (the right to firearms is the only one that’s not so agreed upon), the circumstances in which they apply those core beliefs is vastly different.
I do a sort of commentary on certain portions of the survey, so if you care to hear my views, then read on. Keep in mind though that my views inside are neither scientific nor entirely conclusive.
For example, when it comes to free speech, most people agree that it is an essential right of each individual to have — but only when it is non-threatening and non-offensive.
Also surprising is the different views people have on the authority of public school students to speak out on controversial issues. It seems as if people draw a line distinguishing between the rights of “non-college” public school students and those who are explicitly stated as being public college students. Essentially, it comes down to the wording of the question in the survey, but I really believe there shouldn’t be a difference between the two, whether it’s explicitly stated or not.
Umm, wow…I had no idea that most people think that teachers should be allowed to lead prayers in school. This question wasn’t even about prayer in schools. It was about having the teachers lead the prayers. I would have thought if anything this question would have been much lower in terms of overall consensus. Who knew!
Seriously? Seriously?! Man, 30% of these survey takers are out of their minds…
Ahh, this restores my faith in the public once again.
All in all, I’d say it’s a pretty confusing look into the minds of the people living in the United States. So much for blindness in justice and equality.
For those of you who read to the end, did you also find it weird that the white demographic taking this survey was so much higher in percentage than any other race polled? The percentages aren’t even proportionally correct for the overall makeup of the races in America. Go figure.
Find out all you ever wanted on the United States Constitution here (includes downloadable hi-res images of the famed document).
