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Profile of Student Attitudes subsections -
Classes / Activities / Community participation / College plans / Tolerance and Knowledge of First Amendment / Student - Teacher - Principal - Adult differences / Freedom of speech / Freedom of press / First Amendment education /
Understanding of the Law / Trust in journalists / Sources of news

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A Profile of Student Attitudes

Tolerance and knowledge of the First Amendment

High school students overall tend to express little appreciation for the First Amendment. When asked about whether they take the First Amendment for granted, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of the students surveyed say either they do not know how they feel, or agree that they take it for granted. And a mere 27 percent of students say they personally think about these rights.

Personally think about or take for granted First Amendment rights?

Similarly, over a third of high school students (35 percent) agreed after having the First Amendment read to them that it goes too far in the rights it guarantees; less than half (44 percent) disagreed. Again, many students were not even sure of their opinion on this statement-21 percent of students say they don't know if they agree or disagree that the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.

The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees -- agree or disagree?

Since over a third of high school students think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, it is not surprising that nearly the same percentage (32 percent) thinks the press in America has too much freedom. Still, a slightly greater percentage (37 percent) thinks the amount of freedom the press in America has is about right. Very few (just 10 percent) think the press in America has too little freedom and again, many are unsure of how they feel about this issue (21 percent say don't know).

Overall, do you think the press in America has too much freedom to do what it wants, too little freedom to do what it wants, or is the amount of freedom the press has about right?

Although many students think the press in America has too much freedom, a narrow majority agree that newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of a story. Still, more than a third (36 percent) disagree that newspapers should be able to publish freely. And not surprisingly, an even larger majority of students (58 percent) agree that high school students should be allowed to report on controversial issues in their student newspapers without the approval of school authorities.

Students are more conflicted when it comes to their tolerance for the expression of specific First Amendment rights. As was already noted, while a slight majority supports the right of newspapers to publish freely without government approval of stories, many do not support that right. Students are similarly conflicted when it comes to different ways in which one may express First Amendment freedoms. A strong majority (83 percent) agrees that people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions. However, when it comes to specific exercises of the right to express such an opinion, such as burning or defacing the American flag as a political statement, just 16 percent agree that people should be allowed to do it.

Expression of First Amendment rights

When it comes to students' knowledge of the First Amendment, high school students apparently have much to learn. To be sure, more than three quarters (77%) of students correctly disagreed that under current law, a person has the legal right to shout "fire" in a crowded arena as a prank. A weaker majority (62 percent) also correctly stated that public high school authorities have the right to prevent student newspapers published at their high schools from publishing material they deem controversial.

However, other actions relating to the First Amendment are not so clearly understood. When asked if the government has the right under current law to restrict indecent material on the Internet, students are split in their responses. While 51 percent correctly said the government is not allowed to do it, nearly as many, 49 percent, said this was allowed. The biggest misunderstanding of current law, however, comes on the controversial issue of burning the American flag as a means of political protest. Just a quarter of high school students (25 percent) correctly answered that under current law, Americans do have the legal right to burn the American flag as a means of political protest. The majority in this case (75%) answered incorrectly.

Under current law, do Americans have the legal right to burn the American flag as a means of political protest?

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