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Cato survey ahead of July 4
A national poll by the libertarian Cato Institute, conducted with Morning Consult among 2,253 Americans 18 years of age and older, found that 46% of Americans do not know what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates.
“Nearly half of Americans (46%) don't know that America's 250th anniversary commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.”
The survey asked respondents what the 250th anniversary recognizes, and 53% correctly answered that it was the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The Independent reported that July 4 marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but 46 percent of Americans and 61 percent of Gen Zers couldn’t tell you that.
NPR said the same poll showed that nearly half of Americans (46%) don’t know that America’s 250th anniversary commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, even as 86% said they are grateful to be American and 70% believe the nation’s founding principles remain relevant.
Civic gaps and future fears
Beyond the anniversary question, the Cato/Morning Consult survey described a broader civic knowledge gap, with NPR saying nearly 60% do not know the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution is to limit government power.
NPR also reported that the survey found deep anxieties about the future of American liberty, with more than half fearing the U.S. could cease to be a free country within the next 50 years.
Jack Rakove, a Coe Professor of History and American Studies and Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Stanford University, told NPR, "The lack of civic knowledge is a great disaster," and said any democratic system requires an informed electorate.
Rakove blamed the problem on education and information patterns, telling NPR, "Our educational system is highly decentralized."
What Americans think matters
The survey results paired civic uncertainty with continued attachment to the founding, with NPR reporting that 86% of respondents said they are grateful to be American and 70% believe the nation’s founding principles remain relevant.
“86% of respondents said they are grateful to be American and 70% believe the nation's founding principles remain relevant.”
NPR said the report highlighted that the majority of those surveyed believe the country has strayed from its founding principles, and more than half fear the U.S. could cease to be a free country within the next 50 years.
In KTLA’s account of the same Cato Institute survey, 56% worried the U.S. could stop being a free country within the next 50 years, and 57% believed the country has moved away from the founding principles.
KTLA also reported that 58% of Americans don’t know that the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution was to establish and limit the powers of the federal government, underscoring the gap between pride and knowledge ahead of the 250th anniversary.
