Survey reveals that 2 in 3 young adults don’t know who America declared its independence from in 1776!
NEW YORK — Independence Day may be synonymous with summer, but one survey found many Americans should go back to school! It turns out one in three people don’t know how to spell “independence” — and even fewer know why Americans celebrate on the Fourth of July!
Specifically, the 2022 poll of 1,030 Americans, commissioned by Lawsuit.org, found over a third spell independence incorrectly. Moreover, researchers add that internet searches for “how to spell independence” skyrocket by 85 percent during the July 4th holiday weekend.
The most common way people misspell this important word in the American lexicon is by using an “a” — spelling it “independance.”
Other common misspellings include independense, indpendence, indiependence, and independents — which is actually a real word, but there’s no such thing as Independents Day.
Are you an indepen-dunce?
Spelling isn’t the only thing giving many people trouble on the Fourth of July. Last year’s survey also discovered that plenty of respondents deserve an F in American history.
As most elementary school students could tell you, July 4th commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 — signaling the nation’s freedom from British rule. However, the poll found two in three young adults in Gen Z don’t know who America declared its independence from.
In fact, one in three Gen Zers think July 4th celebrates America’s independence from the Native Americans!
Overall, less than 58 percent of all respondents correctly answered that America gained its freedom from Great Britain. Nearly eight percent said “Europe.” Over eight percent said “South America” and more than 12 percent chose “none of the above!” Perhaps these respondents think the sci-fi blockbuster “Independence Day” is a documentary.
The embarrassing American trivia doesn’t end there. The poll also found plenty of people who need a refresher course on the American flag.
One in 10 respondents didn’t know how many stripes are on the American flag. While red, white, and blue may be easy to remember, the poll discovered that the average American thinks there are 14 stripes on the flag — instead of the correct answer of 13, which symbolize the original 13 colonies.
So, regardless of how you spell it, Happy independance… independense… (oh, the heck with it) Happy Fourth of July!
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