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It's the dream, really
(media.kbin.social)
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this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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That site is so weird. And whoever wrote that article is also mathematically illiterate. Not to mention they didn't link to any sources. So here is one they claim to have used:
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Foreign_language_skills_statistics#Level_of_command_of_best_known_foreign_language
This source says that 65% of 25-64 year old spoke at least a second language in 2016. The much lower number of 24% is when asked about proficiency, which can't be compared with the US given Americans' notorious overestimation of their own qualifications.
Most of the 25% of Americans (I couldn't find a source for this) claiming to speak a second language is immigrants. I guess it needs to be said, but when people comment on the monolongualism of Americans, it's about those who are not immigrants or first generation born in the US.
In my experience, most non Hispanics claiming to speak Spanish in the US struggle to hold even a basic conversation. And I have been to 35+ states, including door to door canvassing, etc.
I know this is anecdotal. As an American, when I mention knowing a second language, I will occasionally get "oh, I know that language too!" from someone. And... They don't. They know a couple phrases at best.
This is broadly true with white Americans that their immigrant background is there already for generations... but a huge part of america does not even speak English at home. America is a melting pot of people from everywhere in the world.