Study: Republicans better informed about news than Democrats, sort of

In fact, out of the 12 multiple-choice questions asked in a Pew Research Center phone survey of more than 1,000 adults, Republicans answered an average of about 6 questions correctly compared with 5 for Democrats. (The survey was conducted between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, and included cell phones and landlines.)

These political-party differences are partly a reflection of the demographics, with Republicans tending to be older, well-educated and male – all factors associated with political and economic knowledge. Even after accounting for these factors, however, Pew scientists found a gap.

But Dems can’t take all the blame for national ignorance. Just 2 percent of the public answered all questions correctly, while 6 percent failed to answer a single question right. On average, Americans got just 5 out of 12 correct.