SEATTLE, June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Most Americans believe that "for someone to truly be an American" they should agree with the ideas expressed by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They don't need to share a similar ancestry or religion. That's the key takeaway of a survey of 2,500 American adults released today by Discovery Institute just in time for the nation's 250th birthday.

The survey has special relevance for the growing debate among some conservatives about whether or not America is a "creedal" nation open to all who share its foundational political beliefs.

"Americans overwhelmingly think that true Americans are defined by their embrace of America's founding ideals, not by their ethnicity or religion," says Dr. John West, author of the book Endowed by Our Creator: The Bible, Science, and the Battle for American's Soul. West serves as Vice President of Discovery Institute and oversaw the survey.

Respondents to the nationwide poll were asked: "In your view, for someone to truly be an American, which attributes should they have?"

• 62.1% said "they should agree with the ideas expressed by the Declaration of Independence."
• 64.3% said "they should agree with the form of government created by the Constitution."
• 71.3% said "they should agree with the freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights."

By contrast, only 3.2% of respondents said people "should be descended from an ancestor from Britain or Europe" to truly be an American; and only 16.8% thought that true Americans needed to "agree with Christianity."

"With minor variations, the results are similar for all the major demographic groups," says West. "Regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnicity, or political ideology, most people in the United States think Americans should be defined by their support for the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, not by their ancestry or religion."

"For example, 97% of self-identified Christian conservatives reject British/European ancestry as a requirement to be a true American, and 69% of Christian conservatives reject the idea that someone needs to agree with Christianity in order to be a true American," says West.

A follow-up survey of 1,000 self-identified Christian conservatives who are age 18-35 showed similar results.

Further results from both surveys can be accessed here or at https://endowedbyourcreator.com/.

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SOURCE Discovery Institute