A poll released Tuesday by C-SPAN describes an American public beset by contradictions when it comes to the United States Supreme Court.

Voters claim to be paying close attention to the looming fight over the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh (pictured above) to the Supreme Court. Yet most lack basic knowledge about the makeup of the high court.

And Americans are as divided as their senators over the bottom-line question of whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed to a lifetime job on the court. The survey of 1,000 likely voters, which PSB conducted earlier this month, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.

“They’re actually viewing this fight for the nomination in a very partisan context, and also, they’re viewing the court itself as a very partisan and polarized animal,” PSB senior strategist Adam Rosenblatt said Tuesday on C-SPAN.

“Because all they know, generally, about the court — since there are no cameras in the court — is that it’s based out of Washington, D.C. So they assume that they behave like Democrats and Republicans,” Rosenblatt said.

The poll suggests that 39 percent of likely voters support Kavanaugh’s nomination, while 35 percent oppose it. Another 26 percent offered no opinion. Rosenblatt said on the C-SPAN program “Washington Journal” that it was a tighter margin than President Donald Trump’s first appointee to the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Views on Kavanaugh, who currently is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, break down on partisan lines. Republicans support him by a margin of 67 percentage points, while Democrats oppose him by a 48-point margin. Independents are split.

Men are more supportive than women, and younger voters oppose him, while older voters support him.

The last two nominees to the high court had more support than Kavanaugh, according to polls PSB conducted for C-SPAN. In March 2017, voters expressed support for Gorsuch, 43 percent to 31 percent. Justice Elena Kagan had support from 38 percent of voters in June 2010, while 30 percent opposed her.

Rosenblatt said it is part of a “very dangerous, worrisome trend.” Only 28 percent said the court “acts in a serious and constitutionally sound manner,” while 56 percent said justices are split on political grounds like Congress.

“So it’s a 2-1 margin. It’s very, very dangerous for the institution itself.”

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Those findings are consistent with results PSB has gotten in surveys dating to 2011.

“So it’s a 2-1 margin. It’s very, very dangerous for the institution itself,” Rosenblatt said.

Even though the public claims to be paying close attention, many voters have trouble even identifying the players. Only 35 percent of respondents could name Kavanaugh when asked to identify Trump’s most recent nominee. Another 5 percent answered incorrectly, while 60 percent had no idea.

What’s more, 52 percent of respondents could not name any current justice. The best-known justice is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Among a deluge of recent publicity focusing on her legacy and attempts by progressives to elevate her to a pop culture icon — “Notorious RBG,” anyone? — her name recognition has improved by 9 points since a March 2017 survey.

Still, only one in four respondents could name Ginsburg as a member of the court. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas tied at 14 percent as the next best-known justices. Everyone else was in single digits.

Related: RNC Hits Senate Dems for Latest Kavanaugh Delay Tactic

Rosenblatt said the confirmation hearings, set to begin September 4, will play out in a predictable manner.

“I think what we’re going to see, unfortunately, on sort of all sides is sharp polarization from the voters and how they actually respond, and how the senators actually vote for or against the nomination,” he said on C-SPAN. “We saw very strong partisan support among the Republicans for Kavanaugh and very strong opposition among the Democrats.”

Perhaps the knowledge gap would close if the justices allowed TV cameras into the courtroom. It is a step the tradition-bound institution has resisted. But it is popular with the public. Among all respondents, 64 percent agreed the high court should allow television coverage of oral arguments. Support cuts across party, ideological and age lines.

Check out how previous judicial nominees answered questions about whether court proceedings should be televised.