Many people don’t have a clue:
Just over half (55%) of Americans can correctly identify the three branches of government.
−-More than one in five (22%) believe the three branches of government are the Republican, Democrat, and Independent branches.
−-A full 16% of respondents believe the three branches of government to be local, state, and federal.
Less than half (48%) of Americans can correctly identify the meaning of the concept of separation of powers.
−-However, almost two-thirds (63%) report being very or somewhat familiar with the separation of powers principle.
−-82% feel that the separation of powers is important, while only 5% report that it is not important or they do not know what it means.
Given that so many people don’t even know what government should be doing, much less what it is doing, I guess it’s no surprise that accountability is so scarce in Washington these days.