Overview
Are we free? How free? Can freedom be measured? How? This segment looks at the annual Human Freedom Index.

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Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Government and Other
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings

What students will learn
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• list examples of economic and personal freedom;
• explain the impact of various government rules and regulations on a country’s Freedom Index ranking;
• assess the importance to people of freedom and limited government; and
• hypothesize about the relation between freedom and migration.

Sample discussion questions
• What does freedom mean to you? What would you weigh most heavily in judging whether a country is free or not?
• Is one category of freedom more important than another or are they equally important or equally unimportant? Explain.
• John Stossel contrasted starting a business in Hong Kong with starting a business in India. What did he say was the biggest difference? How does that relate to economic freedom?
• Why did Tanja Porcnik move from Slovakia to Austria? In which countries do people prefer to live? What explains the desire of people to emigrate? Explain.
• What is the future of America? Do you think we will become more free or less free? Give examples to support your position.

What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 13-page Teacher's Guide includes a lesson description, learning objectives, a fill-in viewing guide with answer key, discussion and analysis questions, and classroom activities.

Standards alignment
Aligned to state standards — use the SITC Standards Tool to match this video to the standards in your state.