Do Americans think access to literacy is a constitutional right?

Jamie BallardData Journalist
July 24, 2018, 5:00 PM GMT+0

Republicans (38%) are considerably more likely than Democrats (6%) to say that access to literacy is not a constitutional right, and that it shouldn’t be

Recently, a group of students in Detroit filed a class-action lawsuit against Michigan state officials, claiming that the poor conditions in their schools -- including, allegedly, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of supplies, rat-infested facilities and more -- were a violation of their constitutional rights. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that “access to literacy” is not a constitutionally guaranteed right.

Over one-third of Americans disagree. When asked about the lawsuit, 36% of people said that access to literacy “is a constitutional right, and it should be.” Another 20% said it “isn’t a constitutional right, but it should be,” and a near-equal amount (19%) said “it isn’t a constitutional right, and it shouldn’t be.”

Republicans (38%) are considerably more likely than Democrats (6%) to say that access to literacy is not a constitutional right, and that it shouldn’t be; half of Democrats (50%) say that it is a constitutional right, and it should be.

Though people across age groups largely tended to say that access to literacy is indeed a constitutional right, Americans who are 55 years of age or older (26%) were more than twice as likely as 18-34 year olds (10%) to say it is not a constitutional right, and it should not be.

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Image: Getty

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