Survey: Almost half of Americans miss the meaning of Memorial Day

A new study reveals statistics that almost half of Americans don’t know that it is a holiday for honoring those who died in service to their country, and 35% of Americans confuse it with Veterans Day, a day that honors all those who have served in any branch of the US Armed Forces.

Memorial Day is traditionally observed on the last Monday in May. Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov 11 and also marks the end of World War I.

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans and found that 48% did not know that it is a holiday honoring those who died serving their country. Of those surveyed, 35% confused it with Veterans Day, and 5% mistakenly identified it as a holiday honoring all public servants (military and non-military) who died in service. 

“Memorial Day is more than the unofficial start of summer — it is a solemn reminder of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country,” Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “The fact that nearly half of Americans don’t recognize the meaning behind the holiday is a wake-up call for all of us. We have a shared responsibility to preserve the stories, service, and sacrifice that Memorial Day represents, so future generations never lose sight of the freedoms they inherited.”

While the Baby Boomer generation scored better, they still correctly identified the holiday at only 56%, compared to Gen Z, which got it right at only 27%. Among millennials, only 38% got it right. 

“Even with having family members who have served, it is very hard to see the sacrifice that goes into just serving, and so that’s why we honor our veterans, and because they are giving away part of their life,” said Austin Holmes, Navy Special Operations veteran, and president of Publicity for Good, told the Carolina Journal. “For Memorial Day, for the guys who end up giving it all, those are guys that we think about frequently.” 

Holmes emphasized that while sacrifice is “absolutely still a part of our society,” it is becoming less and less so due to the consumer and convenience mentality that is “almost universal in society now.” He indicated that the Gen Z statistic he thought should be higher, because of ChatGPT, “it’s just a reality of where we are at.” 

These days are to recognize service and sacrifice, stated Holmes. “It’s an order of magnitude difference between the significance of that sacrifice,” said Holmes. “On the individual level, these are guys and girls who sacrificed a part or all of their lives.” 

Holmes indicated that he believes the importance, meaning, and awareness of these two holidays have been diluted due to the saturation of holidays and events. Additionally, the commercialization of all holidays is also an obstacle.

“The confusion is noise, overwhelm, and apathy,” said Holmes. 

He also indicated that a lack of in-depth civics education has contributed to the confusion. 

“When you create a great vision for anything, whether it’s a country or a movement that brings people together, that gets people passionate, I’ve seen a little bit of that;  I’ve seen some positive signs, but I think we are still very much apathetic as a culture, and when people don’t care, they’re not going to learn.”

Holmes emphasized that it is easy to care when you can put a face and a name to the sacrifice, and that more people need to speak up, be leaders in their communities, and be responsible for their own lives to share that with society. 

“I don’t know of another way,” concluded Holmes. “It’s important to know your history so that you know how to move forward in the best way, and it’s important to contribute the most that you can to help.”

“Survey: Almost half of Americans miss the meaning of Memorial Day” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.