In a Divided Texas, Voters Agree on One Thing: Teach the Constitution

A new survey from Texas Southern University's Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center finds near-universal agreement among Texas likely voters that K-12 students should learn about the U.S. Constitution, with 94% calling it very important and 86% supporting increased state spending on civics education — a view shared by 80% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats alike. Yet voters' own K-12 experience tells a more uneven story: only 60% recall being taught a great deal or quite a bit about the Constitution in school, a gap that runs along partisan lines, with Republicans (67%) more likely than Democrats (55%) to say they received substantial instruction.

The survey also reveals sharp partisan divides over how the Constitution should be interpreted. While 51% of all likely voters favor an originalist approach and 38% see original-meaning and modern-context interpretations as equally valid, the partisan split is stark: 76% of Republicans favor originalism compared to just 21% of Democrats, while 56% of Democrats view both approaches as equally important versus 23% of Republicans. Race also shapes these views, with Black voters (30%) far less likely than White (53%) or Latino (53%) voters to hold an originalist position. Dive into the full report for the complete breakdown by demographic and political subgroup. Read the full report here.