The people were asked and they answered. See full results here.

As a people, Americans are often described as “deeply divided.” Yet we often agree on fundamentals. The results of CivicStory’s recent History-Civics quiz show an overwhelming alignment, ranging from 89–98%, on six statements regarding the Preamble, the Presidential Oath, and the non-authoritative role of political parties.

For example, just under 95% (344 responses) of 360 respondents agreed on four desired qualities of political representatives—patriotism, love of justice, wisdom, and guardianship. And 89% (322) of respondents disagreed that political parties are mentioned in the US Constitution. (Correct: parties are not mentioned.)

Most notably, 98% (355) of 364 respondents disagreed that “In the US, political parties have authority over the American people.” Given the tendency of news to amplify partisanship, the near unanimous rejection of the idea of party control over “we the people” is significant.

Here is the response data for the five most-aligned responses regarding the US Constitution and democratic process, listed by agreement percentage.

(2) Before taking office, newly elected US presidents are administered an Oath to: faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States; and to the best of their ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

98% Yes 2% No

(6) In the US, political parties have authority over the American people.

98% No. 2% Yes

(10) Our elected representatives should: exemplify patriotism and a love of justice; possess wisdom to discern the true interests of the country; be guardians of the people’s wellbeing.

94.5% Yes. 5.5% No

(5) Four goals mentioned in the Preamble of the US Constitution are to: form a more perfect union; establish justice; ensure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense.

90% Yes. 10% No

(3) Political parties (also called “factions”) are mentioned in the US Constitution.

89% No. 11% Yes

A sixth unified statement concerned the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021. Just under 91% (328) of 361 respondents agreed that “after a joint session of Congress was convened at the US Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, more than 140 police officers were injured and two people died.” (We appreciate Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Beatrice Forman’s correction that the tragic death toll during the riot, confirmed later, was actually four persons.)

We specified the afternoon of Jan. 6 to allow for clarity regarding the bodily harm and loss of life that occurred during five hours of violence. Our belief is that an ethical, non-legal framework for acknowledging this human tragedy is essential for teachers, students, and future generations to fully and accurately understand the day.

We will comment on remaining questions in a future blog post. Our thanks to NJ.com and the Star-Ledger for publishing the quiz and inviting us to explain it in an op-ed on Apr. 9.

For complete History-Civics quiz response data, click here.

Quiz Responses Show Readers Understand a Non-Authoritative Role of Parties and Desired Qualities of Elected Representatives