National Poll Reveals Overwhelming Consensus: 80% of Americans Say Civic Education Lacking

A new national poll conducted by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies for NBC News has found a striking consensus across age, party, and geographic lines: 80% of American adults say the country places too little emphasis on civic education. The survey, sponsored by More Perfect and the Daniels Fund, polled 3,000 adults nationwide from May 29 to June 7 and reveals a public eager for more understanding of how government and democracy work.

Among respondents, 51% said the country puts “much too little” emphasis on civic education, while another 29% said “somewhat too little.” Only 13% felt the current level is about right, and virtually no one said too much is taught. Defined as teaching people how government and democracy actually function, civic education emerges as a rare point of unity in a polarized era.

“Eight out of ten Americans telling us we need more civic education is a wake-up call to educators and policymakers,” said John Bridgeland, co-founder of More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing democracy. “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 good news is that a growing movement is already answering that call, from Presidential Centers to classrooms to the National Civics Bee.”

Hanna Skandera Grady, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund, a foundation focused on positively impacting American life, echoed that sentiment. “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,” she said. “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 also found that more than half of Americans believe people share the same core values but disagree on policy, and majorities see more uniting than dividing Americans across lines of gender, race, ethnicity, and immigration status. However, a strong majority—78% of all adults—agree that the “American Dream” is harder to achieve than it was a generation ago. Young and older Americans diverge sharply on national pride and views of the Constitution, yet both groups largely share this concern about economic opportunity.

These findings come as a wide range of civic education initiatives are already gaining traction nationwide. The National Civics Bee, of which the Daniels Fund is the founding sponsor, has expanded to all 50 states, drawing 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. In a notable cross-ideological alignment, 44 Presidential Centers have come together for the first time around civic education and democratic renewal. 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.

For Texas, where a rapidly growing and diverse population increasingly shapes the state’s economic and political landscape, the poll underscores the importance of equipping residents with civic knowledge. As businesses and communities continue to drive economic growth, a well-informed citizenry is essential for sustaining the democratic institutions that support that prosperity. The call for more civic education represents not just an educational priority, but an economic one—fostering the engaged workforce and stable governance that underpin Texas’s continued success.