A questionnaire, circulated among 300 young adults attending a Youth for Christ gathering, showed that 28 percent thought an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence was written by Lenin. The youths, who were mostly high school seniors, were then asked to describe briefly what sort of person they thought would make such a statement.

Among other things, the author of the Declaration of Independence was called:

* "A person of communism, someone against our country."

* "A person who does not have any sense of responsibility."

* "A hippie."

* "A redneck revolutionist."

* "Someone trying to make a change in government - probably for his own selfish reasons."

Next, the reporter typed up the Declaration of Independence in suitable petition form, stood all day on a sidewalk and asked middleaged passersby to read it and sign it. Only one man agreed, and he said it would cost the pollster a quarter for his signature.

Some comments from those who took the trouble to read the first three paragraphs:

* "This is the work of a raver."

* "Somebody ought to tell the FBI about this sort of rubbish."

* "Meaningless."

* "I don't go for religion, Mac."

* "The boss'll have to read this before I can let you put it in the shop window. But, politically I can tell you he don't lean that way."