They said what?

Many respondents to a new survey didn't know we won our independence from Great Britain.

As we return to work after the celebrating our Independence Day, here's something that's bound to generate conversation around the water cooler: a new survey shows that 26 percent of the respondents didn't even know we won our independence from Great Britain.

The poll conducted by the non-profit Marist Institute of Public Opinion shows that six percent
named a different country, including France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain. Twenty percent said they weren’t sure.

Respondents were simply asked: "From what country did the United States win its independence?"


Breaking down the numbers, the research group found variations in knowledge according to region: 32 percent of Southerners were not sure or named the wrong country; 26 percent of Midwesterners were in the same category, as were 25 percent of Westerners and 16 percent of Northeasterners.

Meanwhile, a separate survey released by the research firm Rasmussen Reports shows that 63 percent of adults believe that The Fourth of July is one of our nation's most important holidays.