Emily Ekins and Hunter Johnson
66% Believe American Founders Would be Disappointed with How We’re Following the Constitution, 75% Support a Balanced Budget Amendment, 53% of Gen Z Support Writing a New Constitution
The Cato Institute’s 2025 4th of July National Survey of 2,026 Americans, conducted by Morning Consult, finds shocking ignorance among the general public about our nation’s history and our system of government. Majorities of Americans don’t know why the American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence to separate from Britain on July 4, 1776 (54%), or that only Congress can declare war (54%), or that the Supreme Court has final say over presidential actions (54%). Further, more than a third (35%) don’t know there are three branches of government. Nearly 20% of Americans under 25 don’t know that George Washington was the first president of the United States.
At the same time, strong majorities of Americans believe in the ideals of the American Founding that led to the Declaration of Independence and believe those ideals remain relevant today (73%). An overwhelming majority (92%) believe that these principles and the founding of the United States have primarily been a force for good in the world.
However, two-thirds of the public (66%) believe that the American Framers would be “disappointed” with how we’re following the US Constitution today. Further, nearly two-thirds (64%) fear freedom is at risk in the country and could be lost if we’re not careful. About a third (36%) think freedom is secure and will continue to be protected.
Topline and Crosstab Results Found Here
How Americans Celebrate the 4th of July
Most Americans (82%) will be celebrating the 4th of July this year. The most popular activities include attending barbecues (62%) and watching fireworks (55%). Others will be going to the beach or pool (19%), attending parades (14%), traveling (10%), watching patriotic movies (10%), and attending ceremonies (6%). Eighteen percent say they won’t be celebrating this year. Despite the many deep policy disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, both will be celebrating our nation’s founding in about the same ways this year.
When asked to choose, 70% of Americans say they prefer hamburgers to hot dogs (18%) and veggie burgers (4%). Eight percent (8%) say they’d prefer something else at a 4th of July cookout.
Plurality Say Consumer Fireworks Should Be Allowed
While most Americans plan to watch fireworks for July 4th, the use of consumer fireworks remains a contested issue. A plurality (43%) say consumer fireworks in residential neighborhoods should be allowed, while 40% say they should be banned due to safety or environmental concerns.
Democrats are more concerned about residential fireworks than Republicans. A plurality (47%) of Democrats would ban consumer fireworks, while a plurality (47%) of Republicans would allow them. Where you live also matters. A plurality (43%) of city residents want to ban 4th of July fireworks in residential neighborhoods while 50% of people in rural communities think they should be allowed. This suggests that different opinions on a fireworks ban may be driven in part by the practicality of setting off fireworks in a city instead of the country.
Most Say America’s Founding Principles Remain Relevant Today
A majority (73%) of Americans believe that the principles leading to the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the country remain relevant today. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority (92%) believe these principles have been a net force for good in the world.
Overwhelming shares of Americans have positive views of the US Constitution (84% favorable), and believe it’s more a protection of our rights and liberties (81%) than a barrier to progress and necessary government action (19%). Nearly two-thirds (64%) say they feel satisfied with their current level of freedoms and liberties available to them. Although Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to say they are dissatisfied with their level of freedom (47% vs 17%).
Most Americans see freedom in the US as improving over time. A plurality (41%) feel we’re freer today than 100 years ago, 31% say we’re equally free now compared to then, and 28% think we’re less free.
Hispanic and Black Americans are more likely than White Americans to believe freedom has expanded over the past century. Subtracting the share who think freedom has declined from improved, Hispanic (+27 pts) and Black (+29%) Americans are considerably more likely than white Americans (+5 pts) to think that we have more freedom today than a century ago.
Americans Believe We’re Not Adhering to the Constitution
While a majority of Americans (84%) like the US Constitution, two-thirds (66%) believe the signers of the Constitution would be “disappointed” with how the country is following the Constitution today.
The survey assessed how Americans evaluate the current US democratic system of government’s ability to meet a number of important objectives. Remarkably, majorities of the public rated the current US democratic system negatively on all the items we asked about.
% Rating the US Democratic System as “Poor” or “Fair”
Keeping the government’s budget and finances sustainable……….71%
Preventing excessive government power……………………………..68%
Making the government accountable to the people………………….68%
Giving ordinary people a real voice in how the country is run..…….67%
Resolving political disagreements peacefully…………………………67%
Protecting future generations from environmental harm…………….66%
Providing equal justice under the law………………………………….63%
Protecting individual rights and freedoms……………………………..60%
Responding effectively to national crises………………………..…….57%
Ensuring anyone accused of a crime has access to a fair trial……..57%
While majorities rate the US democratic system negatively on all these dimensions, mishandling of the nation’s budget and finances tops the list (71% rate poor/fair). Further, Americans think that the democratic system has done only a poor or fair job at preventing excessive government power (68%), ensuring government accountability (68%), giving ordinary people a voice in government (67%), resolving political disagreements peacefully (67%), protecting future generations from environmental harm (66%), providing equal justice under the law (63%), protecting individual rights and freedoms (60%), responding effectively to national crises (57%), and ensuring everyone accused of a crime has access to a fair trial (57%).
Which Rights People Value Most
Most Americans (64%) say they are satisfied either very (25%) or somewhat (40%) with their current level of freedoms and liberties available to them today. Nevertheless, a few groups say they are more dissatisfied than satisfied with their level of freedom, including strong liberals (53%), Americans under 25 (57%), college students (58%), and atheists/agnostics (56%). Overall, Republicans (83%) are 30 points more likely than Democrats (53%) to say they are satisfied with their current level of freedom.
Americans feel more strongly about some rights than others. The survey asked respondents to select the top three rights they felt were most important to them personally. The rights that topped the list were freedom of speech (45%) and the right to vote (35%). Next, Americans selected equal treatment under the law (27%), the right to privacy (27%), freedom of religion (25%), and the right to self-defense (25%). Further, others selected the right to a fair trial and legal process (22%), freedom to keep and bear firearms (21%), the right to own private property (18%), the right to an abortion (18%), the freedom to criticize the government and to ask for change (16%), freedom of the press (11%), and the freedom to hold peaceful protests or meetings (9%).
While all partisans ranked freedom of speech as their most important right, they differed in how they prioritized other rights. Democrats cared relatively more about equal treatment under the law, due process, and abortion access. Republicans cared relatively more about freedom of religion, to own firearms, and own private property. Independents cared more about the right to self-defense, equal treatment, due process, and abortion access.
Among Democrats, they selected these as their top rights:
Freedom of Speech (43%)
The right to vote (41%)
Equal treatment under the law (33%)
The right to privacy (26%)
The right to a fair trial and legal process (26%)
The right to an abortion (25%)
Among Republicans, they selected these as their top rights:
Freedom of speech (46%)
The right to vote (36%)
Freedom of religion (34%)
Freedom to keep and bear firearms (34%)
The right to privacy (27%)
The right to own private property (25%)
Among Independents, they selected these as their top rights:
Freedom of speech (47%)
The right to self-defense (35%)
The right to privacy (31%)
Equal treatment under the law (30%)
The right to a fair trial and legal process (24%)
The right to an abortion (24%)
Is Freedom at Risk?
While most Americans are satisfied with their level of freedom and its upward trajectory, a majority (64%) are concerned that freedom is at risk of being lost if we’re not careful. The survey identified which rights Americans think are at greatest risk. Americans were most concerned about threats to freedom of speech (38%), the right to an abortion (35%), the freedom to keep and bear firearms (27%), and the right to privacy (27%). Americans were also concerned about risks to the right to criticize the government and ask for change (25%), equal treatment under the law (24%), the right to self-defense (22%), to a fair trial and legal process (21%), freedom of religion (20%), the freedom to hold peaceful protests or meetings (19%), the right to vote (18%), the freedom of the press (17%), and then the right to own private property (9%).
Democrats were most concerned about losing abortion rights (45%), the right to free speech (38%), and to criticize the government and ask for change (31%). Republicans were most concerned about losing the right to keep and bear firearms (43%), freedom of speech (34%), and the right to privacy (33%). Independents were most concerned about threats to freedom of speech (46%) and the right to an abortion (36%).
Majority of Gen Z Favor Writing New Constitution
Four in 10 Americans (39%) support writing a new United States Constitution, while nearly two-thirds (61%) oppose. Although most oppose, some demographic groups stand out with majority support: Strong liberals (50%), both Gen Z and Millennials (53%), Black Americans (59%), Hispanic Americans (51%), government employees (54%), and city residents (50%) want to re-write the Constitution.
Americans Support a Wide Variety of Constitutional Amendments
Although most Americans oppose rewriting the Constitution, majorities support amending the founding document. Majorities of Americans support a wide range of constitutional amendments that both Democrats and Republicans would love and hate.
Constitutional amendments that Democrats support and Republicans oppose that received majority support include constitutional amendments to:
78% Guarantee a right to health care
70% Ban misinformation and hate speech
59% Allow Congress to regulate campaign contributions
58% Allow the government to tax wealth in addition to income
57% Guarantee a right to an abortion
Similarly, constitutional amendments that Republicans support and Democrats oppose that received majority support include a constitutional amendment to:
75% Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment
66% Make English the official national language
62% Ban burning or desecrating the American flag
57% Allow prayer in public schools
Some proposed constitutional amendments that did not receive majority support include abolishing the electoral college (45% favor), giving Congress the power to override Supreme Court Decisions (34%), and banning the teaching of “critical race theory” in schools (42%).
These results suggest that were the US to convene another constitutional convention, based on current opinion trends, the rights and institutions this country has today could change dramatically.
Americans Have Significant Civic Knowledge Gaps
Why did the American colonies declare independence from Britain in 1776?
A majority of Americans (53%) do not know the main reason why the US adopted the Declaration of Independence. A little under half (47%) know it was primarily to protest high taxes and lack of representation in government. About a quarter (24%) said they were not sure, 13% said it was to escape religious persecution under British rule, 7% said to stop Britain from restricting westward expansion, 6% said to prevent Britain from ending slavery in the colonies, and 4% said to form a military alliance with France against Britain.
Young people were the least likely to know why the US declared independence from Great Britain. In fact, majorities of Americans under 55 answered incorrectly, including 64% of 18–29 year olds, 61% of 30–44 year olds, 58% of 45–54 year olds. Only those over 55 had a majority answering correctly, including 54% of 55–64 year olds and 63% of those over age 65.
Who was the first president of the United States?
Most Americans (89%) correctly answered that George Washington was our first president. While the overwhelming majority (81%) of college-aged students answered correctly, 19% did not know who the first president of the United States was. Nine percent (9%) said Abraham Lincoln, 3% said Thomas Jefferson, and 7% said they just weren’t sure.
Which branch of government has the power to declare war?
A majority (54%) of Americans don’t know that only Congress has the power to declare war; less than half (46%) of Americans answered this question correctly. Instead, nearly a third (30%) thought the president has the power to declare war, 6% thought the Pentagon or the Army had this power, 4% thought the Supreme Court did, and 14% said they did not know.
How many branches of government are there in the United States?
More than a third (35%) of Americans do not know that there are three branches of the federal government, while 64% know this. Among the third who don’t know, 14% said there were four branches of government, 8% said two branches, and 13% said they did not know.
Who has the final say when the President and Supreme Court disagree about a presidential action?
A majority (55%) don’t know that the Supreme Court has final say on whether a presidential action is constitutional; 45% answered correctly. About a quarter (24%) thought Congress has final say, 12% said the President has this authority. Another 18% said they didn’t know.
When asked who should have the final say over the constitutionality of a presidential action, most Democrats (50%) and Republicans (50%) agree it should be the Supreme Court. However, Republicans are almost three times as likely as Democrats to say the president should get final say (23% vs 8%). Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say Congress should do this (29% vs. 14%).
Future of America
Most Americans (56%) are concerned (44%) or pessimistic (12%) about the nation’s future. A minority (37%) felt either confident (14%) or hopeful (23%). Another 6% admitted they don’t care.
When it comes to the future of American freedom, Americans perceive threats in several areas. First, 38% said they believe that misinformation was one of the greatest threats to American freedom today, 34% said that government overspending and bankrupting the country, and 32% said government overreach and overregulation were the top three concerns. After that, about a quarter said corporate power over government (28%), a biased or politicized justice system (25%), systemic racism and inequality (25%), restrictions on free speech (24%), political polarization (22%) were the greatest threats to American freedom today. Less frequently, Americans said that climate change (20%), foreign interference in US elections (19%), voter suppression (17%), and media and tech censorship (13%) were the greatest threats to liberty.
When selecting the top three threats to freedom, Democrats (35%) and Republicans (41%) both said “misinformation” was a top concern. Although one might easily assume they disagree about which information is inaccurate. Democrats also highlighted systemic racism and inequality (33%) as well as corporate power and its influence over government (30%) as threats to liberty. On the other hand, Republicans identified government overspending and bankrupting the country (43%) as more important than misinformation, and government overreach and overregulation (37%) as another top threat. Independents shared similar concerns with Democrats and Republicans, citing misinformation (38%) and government overspending (34%) as the greatest threats. But independents were also more likely than partisans to say that a biased and politicized justice system posed the greatest risk to American freedom today.
Methodology: Full topline and crosstab results can be found here. This poll was conducted June 27-June 29, 2025, among a sample of 2,026 adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
