One in Four Americans Don’t Know Who America Gained Independence From

Ken AshfordPollsLeave a Comment

I find this to be depressing:

(CNN) – As Americans get ready to spend a long weekend marking this country's independence 234 years ago, a new poll suggests more than 1 and 4 Americans don't know which country America declared its independence from. 

According to a new survey from Marist College, 26 percent failed to correctly identify Great Britain as the country the United States fought an eight-year war with to gain its independence. 

That percentage of Americans includes the 20 percent who were "unsure" and the six percent who thought the U.S. fought a revolution against another country. Among the countries mentioned were France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain, according to the poll. 

The polls internals show younger Americans know least about this country's founding: Only 60 percent of 18-29 year-olds could correctly name Great Britain. Men also had a considerable 81-67 percent advantage over women in naming the correct country. 

The poll surveyed 1,004 Americans between July 17 and 24. It carries a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

I swear we need to get education fixed in this country.