CATO INSTITUTE: The new Cato Institute survey asked 7 basic civic knowledge questions. A majority of Gen Z correctly answered only 1 of them.

The new Cato Institute survey asked seven basic civic knowledge questions. A majority of Gen Z correctly answered only one of them.  https://t.co/nPQCTz3MuC pic.twitter.com/jploIUQozN

— Cato Institute (@CatoInstitute) July 23, 2026

"Gen Z Fails Basic Civics Quiz as America Nears Its 250th," Jonah Messinger and Emily Ekins, CATO Institute, July 2, 2026.

WHO HAS THE FINAL SAY?  More than two-thirds (68%) did not know who has final say if the president and the Supreme Court disagree about whether a president’s actions are constitutional; 32% knew that the Supreme Court has the final say.

WHY DID WE DECLARE INDEPDENCE?  More importantly, two-thirds (67%) of Gen Z do not know why the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain, while 33% correctly answered that it was to protest high taxes and a lack of representation in government. 

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION? Six in ten Americans (64%) under 30 likewise don’t know what the main purpose of the US Constitution is. Instead, 14% thought the main purpose of the Constitution was to declare independence from Great Britain (which is what the Declaration of Independence did), 17% thought the main purpose was to create a presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court, 8% thought it was to list all federal laws, and 4% thought it was to create two major political parties. Another 21% admitted they didn’t know. Only 36% knew that the main purpose of the Constitution is to establish and limit the powers of government.

WHAT DOES AMERICA'S 250TH COMMEMORATE? Nearly two-thirds (61%) of Americans under 30 are unaware of what America’s 250th is commemorating this year, while just 39% know we are celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Of those who answered incorrectly, 11% thought America’s 250th was celebrating the first presidential election, 8% thought it was the ratification of the Constitution, 7% thought it was the victory of the Revolutionary War, 4% thought it was the pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth Rock, 1% said it was the founding of Jamestown, and 30% admitted they didn’t know what America’s 250th is about.

FROM WHICH COUNTRY DID WE DECLARE INDEPENDENCE?  A majority (52%) of Gen Z Americans also don’t know what country from which the American colonies declared their independence, while 48% correctly answered that it was Great Britain. 

NUMBER OF GOV'T BRANCHES?  Gen Z came close to knowing that the federal government has three separate branches, with 50% who answered correctly and 50% who did not.

FIRST U.S. PRESIDENT? While about two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z correctly identified George Washington as the first president, a substantial minority (34%) could not.