Gallup and the NCC have identified common ground in both organizations' interests in amplifying the voice of the American people within the U.S. democratic system. This will be accomplished through public outreach, educational activities, and joint polling by Gallup and the NCC's Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, starting with the 2003 NCC/Gallup Talk Back Study.
“Does the Patriot Act balance our security and liberty?”
The 2003 NCC/Gallup Talk Back Study was inspired by one of the more unique features of the NCC: the "Talk Back" and "Town Hall Wall" areas of the NCC museum. These rely on a distinctly low-tech form of interactivity -- yellow sticky notes and golf pencils -- to gather visitors' opinions on a number of important constitutional issues. Visitors can share their thoughts, react to what others have written by adding their own notes, and in some cases string multiple notes to produce a mini-treatise.
The questions asked in the 2003 NCC/Gallup Talk Back Study mirror those posed in the museum exhibits. The findings are interesting in their own right, but can also be compared with the views museum visitors express, as each day NCC staff removes, tallies, and archives the notes.
Highlights of the study include:
-- Asked to rate the legitimacy of eight different justifications sending troops to war, more than four in five Americans agree war is justified when another country declares war on the United States(83%) or when the United States is attacked (81%). Americans are more ambivalent when the threat is less acute -- such as when another country harbors groups that present a clear threat to the United States (43%), or to honor U.S. treaty commitments with other nations (34%). Americans are much more circumspect about the legitimacy of war when it is launched merely for humanitarian reasons (18%), or in order to liberate the people of another country (13%).
(Based on the National Constitution Center Talk Back question "Tell us what justifies sending troops to war?")
-- Poll respondents were asked about the recent controversy surrounding the display of the Ten Commandments at the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery. Three-quarters of Americans (77%) believe that the Constitution's provision for freedom of religion defends this kind of display; only 21% believe the display should be removed because of the constitutional separation of church and state.
(Based on the National Constitution Center Talk Back question "Should the Ten Commandments be posted on public buildings?")
-- By a better than 2-to-1 margin -- 68% vs. 28% -- Americans believe that the Second Amendment gives individual Americans the right to keep and bear arms, rather than merely preserve the existence of "citizen militias." However, when probed, 82% of Americans who say the amendment guarantees this right say that the government can regulate it. Only 12% of all Americans say that the Constitution gives Americans an unrestricted right to bear arms.
(Based on the National Constitution Center Talk Back question "Does the Second Amendment protect the rights of individual gun owners?")
-- Earlier this year, Attorney General John Ashcroft traveled the country speaking to law enforcement officials about the Patriot Act. Only 25% of Americans say the Patriot Act goes too far in restricting people's rights in order to reduce terrorism; nearly as many (20%) say it does not go far enough, while 45% say it is about right.
(Based on the National Constitution Center Talk Back question "Does the Patriot Act balance our security and liberty?")
-- Of the major freedoms usually associated with the U.S. Constitution, Americans prize the right to vote above all others. Six in 10 (60%) say this is crucial to their own sense of freedom. Second on the list is freedom of religion (55%), a reflection of the fact that religion is very important in the lives of a majority of Americans. This is closely followed by the right to free speech (52%) and the right to due process (52%). Freedom of the press (36%) and the right to keep and bear arms are crucial to much smaller numbers (30%).
(Based on the National Constitution Center Talk Back question "Tell what makes you free?")
The NCC-Gallup Partnership
"Modern poll methods afford a more accurate and thorough understanding of public opinion than our nation's founders could have ever envisioned. Finding a way to capitalize on that wealth of information within our representative form of government is one of the great political challenges of our time," said, Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of The Gallup Poll.
NCC President and CEO, Joe Torsella, underscored the importance of the NCC/Gallup Polling Academy, saying, "Journalists fill an important role in relaying the findings of public opinion surveys to the elected leaders that need the information. Teachers and journalists can fill an important role in transmitting survey findings back to the public so that they better understand the political and social climate of the country.
"By improving the reporting and teaching of polls, we will be strengthening the voice of the people in a most healthy way," Torsella continued.
NCC and Gallup hope to advance this goal through several joint ventures, including:
-- Locating Gallup Poll computer terminals in the public areas of the NCC, giving visitors access to nearly 70 years of Gallup Poll data through the Gallup Brain data archive.
-- Establishing an annual poll of national adults on enduring constitutional issues, called the NCC/Gallup Constitution Matters Survey Project. This begins with the 2003 NCC/Gallup Talk Back study released today.
-- Establishing an annual poll of the nation's high school students to track knowledge of the Constitution, interest in civic involvement, trust in the Constitution, and trust in the major institutions of government.
-- Establishing the NCC/Gallup Polling Academy for teachers and journalists. Educators and reporters will come to the NCC to be trained by Gallup polling professionals in the basic science of polling, learn where to retrieve poll data, and develop skills for interpreting and reporting data.
NCC and Gallup will work together to secure the necessary third-party funding to sustain this relationship long-term.
About The Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization (www.gallup.com) has studied human nature and behavior for more than 70 years. Gallup employs many of the world's leading scientists in management, economics, psychology, and sociology. Gallup performance management systems help organizations increase customer engagement and maximize employee productivity through measurement tools, coursework, and strategic advisory services. Gallup's 2,000 professionals deliver services at client organizations, through the Web, at Gallup University's campuses, and in 40 offices around the world.
About the National Constitution Center
The recently opened National Constitution Center, a revolutionary institution dedicated to honoring and explaining the Constitution, is a modern, interactive, and exciting Center in which people from all walks of life are able to learn about the profound impact the Constitution has had in American history and continues to have in all Americans' daily lives.
The Center, located on Philadelphia's historical Independence Mall, brings the story of the Constitution to life through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, film, text, photographs, sculptures, and artifacts. The National Constitution Center is the first museum in the country designated as a member of the National Archives Experience Alliance Initiative.
Study Methods
The survey questions reported as part of the 2003 NCC/Gallup Talk Back study were conducted by Gallup across three separate national surveys conducted between September and November 2003. Questions asked Sept. 8-10, 2003, are based on telephone interviews with 1,025 national adults, aged 18 and older. Questions asked Oct. 6-8, 2003, are based on telephone interviews with 1,017 national adults. Questions asked Nov. 10-12, 2003, are based on telephone interviews with 1,004 national adults, aged 18 and older. For results based on samples of these sizes, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is +/-3 percentage points.
For complete survey results contact The Gallup Organization or National Constitution Center.
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