“Liberty is the lifeblood of America, but it flourishes only when citizens understand the ideas that sustain it,” says Ryan Owens, the director of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University.
The problem according to Owens is that the serious study of civics has been neglected in recent years. He relates the story of a business leader who recently told him that his biggest personnel problem is younger workers fighting over partisan politics. This is borne out by a recent survey IGC conducted, which is part of its distinctive foundation in social science. It discovered some alarming results.
The survey found that nearly 45% of young adults “would not want someone of the opposite political party to marry into their family.” A quarter said they would refuse to socialize with someone from across the aisle. Sizable percentages of both Democrats and Republicans “would refuse to sell goods to opposite partisans.”
For the rest of the story
FSU's Novel Civics Program
The problem according to Owens is that the serious study of civics has been neglected in recent years. He relates the story of a business leader who recently told him that his biggest personnel problem is younger workers fighting over partisan politics. This is borne out by a recent survey IGC conducted, which is part of its distinctive foundation in social science. It discovered some alarming results.
The survey found that nearly 45% of young adults “would not want someone of the opposite political party to marry into their family.” A quarter said they would refuse to socialize with someone from across the aisle. Sizable percentages of both Democrats and Republicans “would refuse to sell goods to opposite partisans.”
For the rest of the story
FSU's Novel Civics Program
