Nearly half of Americans, two-thirds of Gen Z don't know what America 250 is celebrating: poll

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. 

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. 

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.