by Kevin Killough
Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and nearly half of all Americans don’t know that America 250 is a celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a national survey by the Cato Institute found.
The question posed to the survey respondents was, “To the best of your knowledge, which of the following best describes what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates?”
Nearly half, 46%, of Americans of all ages said they aren’t sure or identified other events as the reason, including the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and the first U.S. President. Only 39% of those ages 18–29 knew the correct answer, according to the poll.
Regarding the U.S. Constitution, the poll found that 82% of Americans viewed the document as important to why America became a “prosperous country.” Eight-six percent of Americans viewed the U.S. Constitution as protecting freedoms and liberties, with the top three rights they value most being free speech, the country’s democratic process, and freedom of religion, according to the poll.
The poll also found that 86% are grateful to be American, 70% say the country’s founding principles remain relevant today, 57% say the U.S. has moved away from those principles and 56% are concerned they could lose their freedom over the next 50 years.
In terms of the 1619 Project, nearly 40% of Americans believed the project’s claim that slavery was the main reason for the American Revolution, according to the poll, which added that young people were “more than twice as likely to believe” this was true rather than untrue: 47% to 21%.
The survey was designed and conducted by the Cato Institute in collaboration with Morning Consult. Morning Consult collected responses online June 25–26, 2026, from a national sample of 2,253 Americans 18 years of age and older. The margin of error for the survey is ± 2 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.
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Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
I would speculate that these folks never had a school that taught the history of the United States founding. Probably spend more classroom time on African literature.
Patriotism is dying a slow death.
As a Baby Boomer, raised by Depression Era and WW2 Era parents, I was constantly reminded of the importance of America, her greatness and her history. Patriotism was never questioned. The Pledge of Allegiance was spoken at the start of every school day. The Star Spangled Banner was played before every sporting event. There was no kneeling.
The Vietnam War, with its endless protests, coupled with questionable motives by politicians, began to chip away at the concept of America’s greatness. Too many legitimate questions and concerns were summarily dismissed by those who were in power.
Todays’ youth are educated by a different group. They’re told they are great, not America. They are told they don’t have to work, toil, and, God Forgive, sacrifice for anything or anyone. The appreciation for freedom is all but dead.
I would argue that they do know the historical context, but they don’t see why we are celebrating due to the current social and political climate. It doesn’t feel that we SHOULD be celebrating.