A Cato Institute survey of 2,253 Americans, conducted with Morning Consult on June 25-26, found that 46% of respondents couldn’t identify what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates on July 4th, while 53% correctly linked it to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The knowledge gap was most pronounced among Gen Z, with 61% of respondents aged roughly 18 to 26 unable to identify the significance of the anniversary. Only 39% of that age group correctly connected the celebration to the Declaration of Independence.
The survey also revealed broader civic knowledge gaps: 57% of Americans didn’t know why the colonies declared independence from Britain, 58% couldn’t identify the main purpose of the Constitution, and 55% didn’t know the Supreme Court has final say in disputes with the president.
would love to see the Venn diagram of “patriots” who know nothing about the country’s history vs Christians who have no idea what Jesus said vs people who unironically use the word “sheeple” (i.e. who accuse others of blindly following without thought or knowledge)
This sort of thing, to me, is what’s most insidious about how social media has evolved. It’s become a tool to reconstruct people’s individual realities, and those realities no longer have to correspond to facts, because one’s opinion is considered sacrosanct no matter how silly or unfounded it is.