I reserve my constitutional right to own pets: Doh!

AMERICANS know more about TV show The Simpsons than they do about a key part of the US Constitution upholding their freedoms, according to a survey.

Only a quarter of those surveyed could list more than one of the five rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and just one in 1,000 knew them all.

A fifth of those surveyed by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago thought the right to own a pet was included too.

But more than half of respondents could name at least two members of the TV's cartoon family The Simpsons, and 22% could rattle off the full list: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.

The First Amendment protects Americans' rights to freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.

The survey of 1,000 adults also found more people could name the three judges of American Idol than they could First Amendment freedoms, and were more likely to remember advertising slogans.

While 69% of people could name freedom of speech as a protected right, less than 25% cited freedom of religion.

Only 11% knew freedom of the press, one-in-10 could name freedom of assembly and just 1% named freedom to petition for redress of grievances, the poll found.

Gene Policinski, executive director of First Amendment Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, said the results were disappointing but not surprising.

The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum is to open on April 11.