Most Convincing Las Vegas Landmarks by Quiz Results
Where else can you take in the sights of the Eiffel Tower, stay at the Empire State Building, cruise the Venetian Canals, and gamble all within a weekend? Las Vegas has been crowned royalty for its replicas. Although there are a few giveaways that the Vegas monuments are copies, some of its landmarks are scarily similar to the real thing
Testing the monument knowledge of Americans, we quizzed 5,000 participants to see if the Vegas copies passed for the real thing. Using picture choices, we asked Americans to decide between the real and the Vegas replica. Let’s just say, Cleopatra wouldn’t be impressed.
Key Findings:
- Americans had the hardest time identifying the Statue of Liberty with 95.5% thinking the Vegas replica was the real thing
- The best state for identifying the fake from the authentic monuments was New Jersey at 62.5%
- The worst state for identifying real v. replica was Wyoming with 30% accuracy
- Americans distinguished the Empire State Building with ease at 94% accuracy
The Statue of Liberty… or Lady Las Vegas?
A shining image of the Patina Green statue, bravely holding a torch and tablet is etched into the mind of every American, but maybe not to perfection. Americans didn’t exactly pass with shining colors when it came to identifying our very own Lady of Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty was the #1 hardest monument for Americans to decipher between real v. Vegas. A painful 95.5% of Americans misidentified the Las Vegas Statue of Liberty for the real thing. Oof. Only 4% were able to correctly identify the difference between the New York Statue of Liberty and the Vegas replica. If it helps to lessen the blow, in 2010, the US Postal Service lost $3.5 million dollars when they accidentally printed stamps showing the Vegas Statue of Liberty instead of the real thing. Hats off to the New York-New York Casino Hotel for such stellar Big Apple imitations!
Arc de Triomphe
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and that holds true with the Arc de Triomphe. There are over 15 famous Arc de Triomphe fakes with many more scattered across the globe. Of course, Vegas couldn’t resist hopping in on the fun and made their own version at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.
Not all of us have had the Oh là là experience in the real Paris, France so the Vegas one is a close second. The question is: can Americans tell the difference? The Arc de Triomphe ranked as the 2nd most difficult to identify. 39% were able to identify the real Arc de Triomphe. Another 38% thought photos of the Chinese replica were the real thing. The Barcelona Arc de Triumf also had her time to shine with 15.8% thinking (despite its red brick appearance) that maybe that was the original. Fortunately, only a small percentage, 8%, thought that the Vegas version was legitimate.
Trevi Fountain – Falling for the fakes
The Lizzie McGuire Movie is largely to thank for the average Millennial’s knowledge of Roman infrastructure. Lizzie led us to believe that the Trevi Fountain was largely empty and that everyone in Italy was named Paolo – not exactly historical accuracy.
Americans were stumped when it came to the Trevi Fountain. When presented with 3 options (Rome, Las Vegas, and Seoul) the results were split three ways. This Italian classic ranked #3 worst identified monument when it came to the Vegas version and the real deal. The majority, 40%, thought the Vegas replica was the real thing. Another 37% thought Seoul’s version in Lotte World was the original. Interestingly, the smallest percentage of people, 24%, were able to identify the real Trevi Fountain.
St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower
Bell towers aren’t exactly the most recognizable monuments (bar Big Ben), but the St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower should be up there in fame. That said, Americans weren’t nearly as familiar with this Italian landmark as they were with others.
When given three photo options, the original and 2 replicas in Ontario, Canada, and Las Vegas, Americans were torn. The St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower was ranked the 4th hardest monument for Americans, with the majority thinking the Vegas replica was real. 58% thought the Vegas one was real. Another 27% believed the Canadian copy was authentic. The smallest percentage, 15%, was able to identify the actual St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower in Italy.
Erawan Shrine
We’ll cut Americans a break on this one, as the Erawan Shrine replica in Vegas is quite intricate. The Erawan Shrine came in 5th place for monuments Americans can identify. 55% thought the Vegas version of the Erawan Shrine was the real thing. 45% were able to identify the actual Bangkok monument. To be fair, the giant billboard behind the actual shrine can be a bit deceiving.
Eiffel Tower – Can Americans identify the fake from the French?
The Eiffel Tower in all its iconic glory, isn’t all that difficult to sham. It’s believed that there are around 80 Eiffel Tower replicas all over the world. Of those replicas, Vegas prides itself on a realistic rendition. The replica was built fairly true to form but at half the height of the Paris version.
So, were Americans able to tell the difference? Parisians be warned: it’s a real faux pas on our part. When ranked worst to best for identifying monuments, the Eiffel Tower comes in 6th place. When shown a picture of the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower (with the hotel swimming pool in the frame, mind you) 54% thought it was the real thing. Only 40% were able to correctly identify the Vegas version. Another 4% thought it was the replica found in Paris, Texas. Not exactly the pièce de résistance we thought it was!
The Great Sphynx – How do Americans fare Egyptian artifacts?
Amidst pharaohs, mummies, and pyramids – Americans have a general sense of Egyptian culture, but it’s far from meeting King Tut’s standards. The Sphynx statue does a decent job competing with the real deal, but there are some stark differences. Namely, the bright blue paint and its unscathed structure.
Despite its rather new appearance, 51% of Americans had mistaken the Sphynx Statue in front of the Luxor Hotel for the real one – located in Giza, Egypt. 46% did recognize this to be a rendition or rather homage as it’s not all that similar to Giza’s Sphynx Statue. The real Great Sphynx is lacking much of its face, probably from the 4,500 years of wear and tear, but Americans must have assumed she had a facelift as only half could identify the real thing.
The Statue of David’s Doppelganger
Michelangelo left his mark with an unforgettable Renaissance work. But is it as unforgettable as it is unforgeable? We’ll give some credit to the Americans on this one – they didn’t do half bad. 82% were able to tell the real Statue of David apart from its fakes. Interestingly, 58% were more likely to believe the other replica in Piazza della Signoria in Florence was the real version when compared to the Vegas replica. All in all, 93.6% knew that the Vegas Statute of David was a dupe. Perhaps the “CAESAR’S” plaque at the base was a bit of a tip-off.
Venice’s Grand Canal – Gondola or Gondo-nah?
Americans seem to know their Italian icons. Like the Statue of David, respondents were able to successfully decipher the Venice from the Vegas. 89% recognized photos of the real Venice Grand Canal while 7% confused the Venice Canal with the Vegas Canal. The Vegas Grand Canal is indoors and is enclosed by a fake blue sky, allowing respondents an easy in spotting the fake.
Empire State of Mind – Do Americans recognize this building?
The Empire State Building has long been the symbol of New York – finding its way on postcards, t-shirts, key chains, and the like. Does its recognition live up to its popularity? Las Vegas has its very own New York City skyline, much like that of the real deal, but Americans weren’t so easily fooled.
Americans were the best at identifying their very own, Empire State Building. Unlike the Italian and French landmarks, where we were a bit shakier, Americans felt confident on the home field. The Empire State Building was recognized with 94% accuracy. Only 3% confused a photo of the New York skyline for the Las Vegas dupe and another 3% thought it was the Miniland in Billund, Denmark.
Best states for recognizing Las Vegas replicas vs. The real ones
If you’re from New York, you might have the luxury of being able to identify a monument or two more than, say, Idaho. We put all Americans to the test, but some states came out stronger than others. We ranked in order the best-performing states when it came to identifying Las Vegas replicas and the real things as well as their success rate.
- New Jersey 62.5%
- Connecticut 60%
- Oregon 59%
- Michigan 58.18%
- Pennsylvania 56.67%
- Florida 56.62%
- California 56.36%
- Illinois 56.36%
- North Carolina 55.45%
- New York 55%
A real surprise that New York falls into 10th place being that 2/10 monuments are on their home turf!
The Worst States to Recognize Real from Replica
Replicas are tricky and some states found it to be more of a challenge than others. When we look at the bottom four, we see that respondents from these states were only able to get less than 50% correct. Ranked in worst order of quiz accuracy, the results were as follows-
- Wyoming 30%
- Vermont 40%
- Delaware 45%
- Colorado 46.67%
- West Virginia 50%
It’s worth noting that there are no monuments from these states in Vegas, so they had it extra hard!
Summary
From best to worst, Americans identified: The Empire State Building, Venice Grand Canal, the Statue of David, the Great Sphynx of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Erawan Shrine, St. Mark Campanile, the Trevi Fountain, the Arc de Triomphe, and, finally, the Statue of Liberty that fooled us the most.
The good news? We all equally suck at identifying which Las Vegas replicas are the dupes. The highest achieving state, New Jersey, still only got 62.5% correct. The lowest, Wyoming at 30%, didn’t venture that far off either. At the national level, Americans got around half correct which, if we were to be graded, would be a big fat F!
Vegas doesn’t make it easy for us, when it comes to calling out the fakes, but at least we can rest easy knowing the knockoffs are just about as good as the real thing. Sorry Italy!
Methodology
In July 2024, we quizzed 5,000 Americans asking them to identify monuments and their Vegas equivalents using photos. Participants were asked about the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Erawan Shrine, Sphynx of Giza, St Mark Campanile, Trevi Fountain, Statue of David, Venice Grand Canal, and Arc de Triomphe.
The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 61% — were male, 38% were female, less than 1% identified as trans, non-binary, or “other”.
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