A majority of Americans believe the U.S. should promote democracy and the rule of law globally, according to the American Bar Association’s 2025 Survey of Civic Literacy. And a whopping 90% support co-equal branches of government and a binding and enforceable code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court.
The annual survey also found that Americans have mixed opinions about the balance of power and trustworthiness of government branches, and many lack basic knowledge of U.S. civics.
Now in its seventh year, the survey collected responses from 1,000 U.S. adults by telephone in English and Spanish from March 6–10, 2025.
Support for rule of law, democratic values
Fifty-four percent of respondents said the U.S. should be involved in promoting democracy and the rule of law globally. Of those respondents, 59% favored the U.S. being very involved or involved in such efforts.
When asked what the rule of law means to them, 37% said protecting fundamental human rights, followed by justice that is accessible to everyone (27%), adherence to legal processes (20%), and an independent judiciary (12%).
Forty-five percent of respondents attributed attacks on judges to political polarization. Eighteen percent cited a lack of confidence in the judiciary and misinformation, while 12% said people are reacting to judges’ rulings.
Government trust and the balance of power
While 90% of respondents support co-equal branches of government, 9% said one branch should be more powerful than the others.
Of those who preferred a dominant branch, 60% said the executive branch should be more powerful than Congress or the judiciary.
Last year, 30% of respondents to the 2024 survey said that balance of power was the most important part of a democratic government.
When it comes to confidence in the branches of government, 20% of respondents to the 2025 survey had the most confidence in the executive branch, 11% had the most confidence in the judicial branch, and 7% in the legislative branch.
To increase trust in the government, 35% said transparency was most important, 30% said political bipartisanship, 19% said increased civic education, and 13% said fair media and social media coverage.
In 2024, 31% of respondents said that misinformation/disinformation and 29% said that political parties weakened democracy in the U.S.
Varied gaps in civic knowledge
As in previous years, respondents were tested on their civic knowledge through questions modeled on the U.S. Naturalization Test.
While 85% correctly defined the rule of law as meaning everyone must follow the law, compared to 81% in 2024, only 39% knew that the U.S. Constitution, along with federal statutes and treaties, is the supreme law of the land, compared to 42% in 2024.
Eighty-one percent correctly identified the Supreme Court as the ultimate authority on interpreting the Constitution, the same percentage as in 2024. Just over half (55%) knew John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, compared to 58% in 2024.
Most respondents understood key principles like checks and balances (72%, the same percentage as in 2024) and separation of powers (67%, compared to 64% in 2024). However, knowledge of specific facts, such as the number of House representatives or rights exclusive to citizens, varied.
To learn more about the 2025 ABA Survey of Civic Literacy, visit the ABA website.
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