Nearly half of Americans don’t know what the nation’s 250th anniversary commemorates: survey

With the U.S. marking its 250th anniversary this Independence Day, nearly half of Americans do not know what the milestone commemorates, according to a new national survey.

The Cato Institute poll found that 46% of respondents failed to identify the anniversary as the adoption of the Declaration of Independence while just 53% answered correctly. Majorities also missed questions about why the colonies declared independence, what the Constitution does and who decides whether a president’s actions are constitutional.

Conducted by Morning Consult for the Cato Institute, the 2026 Fourth of July Survey polled 2,253 U.S. adults on June 25 and 26 ahead of the holiday. July 4 marks 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776.

More than half of respondents, or 57%, could not correctly identify the principal reason the colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Forty-three percent correctly answered that the colonies objected to taxation without representation and the lack of political representation.

Civic knowledge gaps extended to questions about the U.S. system of government. Fifty-eight percent did not correctly identify the Constitution’s primary purpose as establishing and limiting the powers of the federal government. Fifty-five percent did not know that the Supreme Court has the final authority to determine whether a president’s actions are constitutional.

Gen Z recorded the lowest level of recognition in the survey. Sixty-one percent of respondents in the generation did not know what the nation’s 250th anniversary commemorates, while 39% correctly identified the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

The findings add to a broader body of research documenting persistent gaps in Americans’ civic knowledge. The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s annual civics survey has repeatedly found that many adults struggle to identify basic constitutional rights, the branches of government and other foundational concepts, although several measures have improved in recent years. Other research has associated stronger civic knowledge with higher levels of voting, volunteering and community participation.

The United States has been preparing for the semiquincentennial since Congress established the America250 Commission in 2016 to coordinate national commemorations of the country’s 250th anniversary. The milestone is the nation’s largest founding anniversary since the bicentennial in 1976.

Despite the shortcomings on the civics questions, respondents largely expressed positive views of the U.S. Eighty-six percent said they are grateful to be American while 79% said they are proud to be American.

Positive views of the country’s founding also remained broad. Seventy-six percent said they viewed the founding favorably and 70% said its founding principles remain relevant today. Sixty-one percent agreed that America is a land of opportunity while 74% said the American Dream is personally attainable.

Concerns about the country’s future also surfaced in the polling. Fifty-six percent said they worry the U.S. could lose its freedom within the next 50 years while 58% said no political party should be trusted with too much power. Asked what lesson children should take from the 250th anniversary, respondents most often chose that freedom is rare and must be protected.