Modbert
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- Sep 2, 2008
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Well Known: Twitter; Little Known: John Roberts: Overview - Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Yet the public continues to struggle in identifying political figures, foreign leaders and even knowing facts about key government policies. Only about a third of Americans (34%) know that the governments bailout of banks and financial institutions was enacted under the Bush administration. Nearly half (47%) incorrectly say that the Troubled Asset Relief Program widely known as TARP was signed into law by President Obama.
Even fewer (28%) are able to identify John Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. And just 19% know that David Cameron is the new prime minister of Great Britain.
A large majority of Americans (73%) know that Congress did pass a major health care reform bill this year. Though health care dominated the publics news interest most weeks during the lengthy debate over the legislation, 14% say Congress did not pass health care legislation this year and 13% do not know.
Fewer than three-in-ten (28%) correctly identified Roberts as the chief justice of the Supreme Court. More than half (53%) do not know, while small percentages choose other options: former Justice Thurgood Marshall (8%), former Justice John Paul Stevens (6%) and Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (4%).