A new poll has found that most Americans are skeptical of what they were taught in schools about Christopher Columbus.
The survey, conducted by YouGov and released on October 12, two days before the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival on the continent, shows that although 52 percent of Americans have either somewhat or very favorable views on Columbus, they also do not fully trust what they were taught about him.
Many in the US celebrate Columbus Day on the second Monday of October, to commemorate the date the explorer arrived in the Americas in 1492. In recent years many institutions have started to refer to the holiday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of, or as well as, Columbus Day in recognition of the communities that suffered following Columbus’ exploration of the Americas.
A Christopher Columbus statue in Boston was beheaded overnight in June 2020 and subsequently removed by the City of Boston. A new poll shows that although the majority of Americans still view Columbus favorably, they are skeptical about what they learned in school regarding the historical figure.
Tim Bradbury/Getty images
The YouGov poll surveyed 1,137 U.S. adults on the question, “Do you think the things you learned about Christopher Columbus as a child in school were…?” In response, only 38 percent of all US adults answered “completely true” or “mostly true.”
A further 29 percent of respondents answered “about equally true and false,” 17 percent answered “mostly false,” and 5 percent answered “completely false,” which collectively add up to 51 percent of respondents being somewhat to completely skeptical about their education around Columbus.
These gaps differ by age. According to the poll, millennials are the most skeptical about their Columbus education, as only 4 percent of 30-44 year olds say they believe that what they learned in school about the explorer was “completely true.”
When poll respondents were asked about whether they believe children today are learning truthful information about Columbus, those who had the most favorable impressions of Columbus also had the least favorable impression of how children are learning about Columbus.
Poll respondents over 65 had a 68 percent favorability rating of Columbus, however only 18 percent of the over 65s believed that what kids are learning today is completely or mostly true.
Conversely, a third of 18- to 29-year-olds said they believe that what students are learning now is completely or mostly true. That age group responded with the second lowest favorability rating of Columbus, with only 43 percent viewing him somewhat or very favorably.
The White House published a statement signed by President Joe Biden proclaiming the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the third year in a row on October 11. It read, “I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 14, 2024, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
As part of this proclamation, Biden said: “Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have built and sustained powerful Tribal Nations, cultivated rich cultures, and established vibrant communities. And their discoveries and knowledge still benefit us today.”
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