At the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Americans are united in viewing independence as a good thing — but divided over what, exactly, the American Revolution means.
The vast majority (78%) of Americans say it was a good thing for the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain, including 65% who say it was a very good thing. Almost no one (1%) says it was a somewhat or very bad thing.
YouGov also asked British adults the same question. While 65% of Americans say the American revolution was a very good thing, and another 13% say it was somewhat good, only 16% of Britons say it was very good and 23% say it was somewhat good. Only 1% of Americans say the American Revolution was very or somewhat bad, while 10% of Britons say this.
In the U.S. support for the colonies’ assertion of their independence is high among liberals (64% say it was a very good thing), moderates (61%), and especially conservatives (79%). Older Americans are more likely than young adults to say independence was a very good thing: 86% of those 65 and older say this, compared to 69% of 45- to 64-year-olds, 53% of 30- to 44-year-olds, and 48% of adults under 30.
Americans who say they know a fair amount or a lot about the American Revolution overwhelmingly say it was a very good thing (78% and 77%), as do most who say they know a little about the revolution (67%). The 11% of Americans who say they know nothing about the American Revolution are also less likely to like it: Only 33% of them say it was a very good thing, while 37% aren’t sure and 19% say it was neither good nor bad — more than double the share who say this among people who know at least a little about the revolution.
How much Americans know about the Revolution
Nearly half of Americans say they know a fair amount or more about the American Revolution, including 10% who say they know a lot and 35% who know a fair amount. 37% of Americans know a little about the revolution and 11% know nothing at all.
College graduates are more likely than Americans without college degrees to say they know a fair amount or more about the American Revolution (57% vs. 39%), and men are more likely than women to say so (54% vs. 37%). Americans who are either very liberal (58%) or very conservative (58%) are more likely to know a lot about the American Revolution than are those who are liberal but not very liberal (51%), moderate (43%), or conservative but not very conservative (40%).
The 45% of Americans who know a fair amount or more about the American Revolution is a smaller share than the 58% who have said on other YouGov surveys that they know that much about World War II and the 53% who say the same about the U.S. Civil War, but far more than have said that about the Roman Empire (26%), the European Middle Ages (23%), and the French Revolution (21%).
Americans are most likely to say they’ve learned about the American Revolution through school (69%), among 10 options. That’s followed by movies and TV shows (37%), nonfiction videos or documentaries (36%), and nonfiction books or articles (34%).
44% of Americans say the American Revolution isn’t taught enough in schools, while 31% say it’s taught the right amount and 3% say it’s taught too much.
How George Washington is regarded
YouGov asked Americans their thoughts on 14 people who were active during and after the American Revolution. Many prominent founders are very well liked: 80% have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Benjamin Franklin, followed by George Washington (78% favorable), Thomas Jefferson (72%), Paul Revere (72%), John Adams (69%), Betsy Ross (69%), Alexander Hamilton (65%), and James Madison (63%).
Abigail Adams and the Marquis de Lafayette are less-well-known but still far more liked than disliked: 53% view Abigail Adams favorably and 8% unfavorably, with 39% unsure. 38% view Lafayette favorably and 13% unfavorably, with 50% unsure.
Four of the 14 Revolution-era figures are viewed unfavorably by more Americans than view them favorably: Hamilton’s killer Aaron Burr (27% favorable and 28% unfavorable), British general Charles Cornwallis (20% vs. 28%), traitor Benedict Arnold (16% vs. 56%), and King George III (15% vs. 53%).
69% of Americans have either a positive or a negative opinion about King George III, while 31% have no opinion. By this measure, George III is better known in America — where the Declaration of Independence targeted him as the bad guy— than he is in Great Britain, where 69% of Britons have no opinion about a man who is just one of the 42 monarchs since William the Conqueror. (The YouGov poll of Britons offered respondents the option of saying they’d never heard of each monarch, unlike the U.S. poll.)
Washington is also far better known — and regarded more highly — in the U.S. than he is in the UK. A recent YouGov survey of British adults found that 37% don’t have an opinion of him; 53% view him favorably and 11% unfavorably.
For the 10 revolutionary-era figures who are broadly liked in the U.S., both liberals and conservatives have net favorable views. Conservatives are more likely than liberals to view nine of the 10 favorably. The exception is the Frenchman Lafayette, who’s more popular among liberals.
We hold these documents very favorably
Among American Revolution-era documents, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are all well-known and popular: Each is viewed favorably by more than 80% of Americans.
George Washington’s Farewell Address, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and the Federalist Papers are less well-known, but those Americans who do have opinions about each text are much more likely to have favorable opinions than unfavorable ones. The only one of the seven documents with significant unfavorable views is the Articles of Confederation, yet it, too, is viewed favorably by many more Americans than view it unfavorably.
Both liberals and conservatives have net favorable views of all seven documents, but conservatives are more likely than liberals to view each document favorably. That’s especially true of the Articles of Confederation: 43% of liberals view it favorably and 28% unfavorably, for a net favorability of +15, while conservatives are 65% favorable and 13% unfavorable (+52).
Majorities of Americans agree with all six statements from the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, including 85% who strongly or somewhat agree that men’s inalienable rights include “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” 80% who agree that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it,” and 76% who agree that “all men are created equal.” 17% disagree that all men are created equal, including 29% of Black Americans and 27% of Hispanic Americans.
Petitions yes, Minutemen maybe
Like with past YouGov surveys asking about the acceptability of modern-day protest tactics, this survey asked Americans about a range of actions by American colonists to resist Britain in the leadup to independence. Most Americans say it was very acceptable for colonists to advocate for independence (68%), to send petitions to Parliament (62%), and to boycott British goods (59%). Majorities also say it was very appropriate to elect congresses to coordinate resistance (56%). About half (52%) say it was very appropriate to publish pamphlets attacking King George III and Parliament.
Several more aggressive actions are seen by fewer Americans as very acceptable, including stockpiling weapons and ammunition for local militia (48%), dumping British tea into Boston Harbor (46%), shooting at British soldiers trying to seize colonial weapons (37%), intimidating British taxpayers into resigning (34%), and throwing snowballs and stones at British soldiers stationed in Boston (28%).
Liberals are more likely than conservatives to say several nonviolent colonial tactics were very acceptable, including petitioning Parliament (75% of liberals and 68% of conservatives say this was very acceptable), electing colonial congresses (69% vs. 61%), and publishing anti-British pamphlets (67% vs. 56%). Conservatives were more likely than liberals to say it was very acceptable to stockpile arms (62% of conservatives and 49% of liberals say this) and shoot at British soldiers trying to seize those stockpiles (48% vs. 39%). One exception to this trend of conservatives being more supportive of aggressive tactics: Liberals are more likely than conservatives to say it was very acceptable to throw stones at British soldiers in Boston (37% of liberals and 31% of conservatives say this).
The Revolution’s meaning
Majorities of Americans say the American Revolution was somewhat or a great deal about defending Americans’ political rights (80%), promoting Americans’ economic interests (76%), and expanding democracy in the country (75%). Fewer say it was at least somewhat about either protecting slavery (35%) or limiting it (30%).
Liberals are more likely than conservatives to say the American Revolution was at least somewhat about protecting the system of slavery (49% of liberals and 28% of conservatives say this), and conservatives are more likely to say it was at least somewhat about limiting slavery (37% of conservatives and 24% of liberals say this).
YouGov also asked Americans how important they think ideas from five different sources were in shaping the American Revolution. 39% say ideas from Christianity were very important in shaping their nation’s revolution, more than the share who say ideas from Great Britain (32%), the Enlightenment (31%), Native American nations (25%) or ancient Greece and Rome (22%) were very important.
Views on Christianity’s influence on the American Revolution are ideologically polarized: 64% of conservatives and 22% of liberals say Christian influence was very important. That’s a much wider gap than on the importance of ideas from the other four sources.
For conservatives, Christian ideas are far and away the most likely of the five potential influences to be considered very important for the American Revolution. Christianity was the least likely of the five for liberals to call very important.
There are divisions about which ideas were most important in shaping the American Revolution by self-reported knowledge about it. Among Americans who say they know a lot about it, more say ideas from Great Britain (54%) and the Enlightenment (53%) were very important than say so about ideas from Christianity (47%). Among Americans who say they know a fair amount about the American Revolution, on the other hand, Christian ideas are most likely to be called very important (42% vs. 40% for Enlightenment ideas and 38% for British ideas). Among those who know a little about the American Revolution, the gap is even wider: 40% say Christian ideas were very important, compared to 30% for British ideas and 24% for Enlightenment ideas.
See the full article by YouGov’s David Montgomery.
Charting Opinions
Freedom is the value Americans say best represents the U.S.
Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States, YouGov asked Americans to reflect on the country’s history, values, and most prominent figures. Freedom is the value that Americans are most likely to say best represents the U.S. Out of eight options, 25% of Americans chose freedom as the most representative value, followed by capitalism (14%), democracy (13%), and opportunity (11%). Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say that freedom best represents the U.S. (42% vs. 12%). Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to name democracy (23% vs. 9%) and capitalism (20% vs. 4%). (Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik)
How do Americans define patriotism? The majority (62%) say “acknowledging problems in your country and seeking solutions” comes closer to their definition. One-quarter (25%) say “supporting your country unconditionally” comes closer to their definition of patriotism. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say their definition of patriotism comes closer to “acknowledging problems in your country and seeking solutions” (79% vs. 43%). (Jamie Ballard)
The American Dream has become hard to achieve for most Americans
For many, the American Dream feels unreachable. About half of adult citizens in a recent YouGov poll doubt they will be able to get there. Only 26% say they have achieved the American Dream, and 21% say they haven’t gotten there yet but expect they will. That’s a large drop in positive expectations in the last 17 years. An April 2009 CBS News/New York Times Poll found that three in four adults either believed they had achieved the American Dream or would achieve it in their own lifetime, 28 points higher than the share today. (Kathy Frankovic)
Chats with Americans
We’ve recently launched an occasional series highlighting results from a new feature: excerpts from conversations between YouGov’s AI interviewer and our panelists. Previous chats covered Americans’ childhood memories and a few other recent topics, including children’s television and sports playoffs. A few days before July 4, we asked four questions about the holiday, including Americans’ plans to celebrate it and its significance to them.
In followup chats, we also asked whether the 250th anniversary of the country was affecting celebration plans. Many don’t expect big changes; of those who do, some cite drawbacks to the anniversary, including politicization and crowds. “I was VERY excited in ‘76,” says one respondent. “The bicentennial was fun. This one is overshadowed by all the dark political leadership and corruption from the capital.” Another expresses apathy: “Nobody is really talking about this being the 250th, it’s just a normal 4th of July.” Embracing the milestone, one says, “We should celebrate our successes while also acknowledging our flaws and how far we still have to go. We, as a people, are full of potential.” Many, though, have noticed the commercial tie-ins, including one who says what makes this year stand out is “shameless advertising mostly.”
Quick Takes
Presidential legacies: Out of 20 presidents, the ones most likely to be rated as outstanding are Abraham Lincoln (44%), George Washington (37%), and Barack Obama (29%). 18% rate Donald Trump as outstanding
U.S. vs. UK: 45% of Americans think the U.S. has a better political system than the UK; 13% say the UK’s system is better. 14% say there is no difference and 28% aren’t sure
The Fourth of July: 55% of Americans — including 74% of Republicans and 45% of Democrats — plan to celebrate the Fourth of July this year
Fireworks: 18% of Americans say a person in their household has a fear or strong dislike of the sound of fireworks; 40% say a pet in their household does
The Great American State Fair: 44% of Americans — including 65% of Republicans and 7% of Democrats —- are very or somewhat interested in watching events from the Great American State Fair
UFC at the White House: Half (50%) of Americans strongly or somewhat disapprove and 33% approve of the White House hosting a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight as part of its Freedom 250 celebrations
Elsewhere
Polling media partnerships
CBS + YouGov on the country’s successes and challenges, and the best of the U.S.
Economist + YouGov on how Americans see the past, present and future of the U.S.
The Times + YouGov on the American Dream: whether it’s dying, for new entrepreneurs, its connection with supporting yourself, how it’s gone wrong for one journalist, how it’s alive for one writer, a surge to socialism, Dolly Parton, and Americans sounding British
Polling abroad
Polling in the press
My generation is less patriotic than boomers. I know why. | Opinion (USA Today)
4 Major Events in U.S. History That Americans Are Still Debating (U.S. News & World Report)
What Americans think is best about the US as it turns 250 (including a bunch of stuff invented elsewhere) (Independent)
My family has been here since 1621. That is not what makes me American (CT Insider)
Americans are divided along party lines about America 250 (FiftyPlusOne)
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Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this newsletter.