Lessons from the Environment: Figure 3

National Environmental Report Card

Although Americans believe themselves to be fairly knowledgable about environmental issues and problems, in reality most Americans are environmentally illiterate, failing a relatively simple knowledge quiz. Thirty years after the first Earth Day and after three decades of environmental education programs, only one-third of American adults pass a simple test of environmental knowledge with a grade equivalent to A, B, or C. Many Americans are knowledgeable about one or two environmental topics, but relatively few (the 11% overall who achieve an 'A' grade) have broad environmental knowledge.

Back to Report Main Page.