Our nation is getting ready to celebrate her Independence Day. There will be parades, food and fireworks from the East Coast to the West Coast. But pride in the U.S. has hit its lowest point since Gallup started asking about it in 2001, according to a poll released Tuesday. Now less half of adults surveyed say they’re “extremely” proud to be Americans.
Seventy percent of U.S. adults said in the new poll that they were proud of be Americans, but 2019 marks the second consecutive year that fewer than half — 45 percent — identified as “extremely proud.”
It was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that America gave their highest reading, roughly 70 percent expressed high levels of patriotism, Gallup noted.
Extreme pride amongst Democrats dipped to its lowest measure in the new survey. Just 22 percent of Democrats responded with extreme pride, half of what it was before President Trump’s 2016 election.
Republicans’ latest reading at 76 percent is 10 points below the record high in 2003, according to Gallup. Republicans’ extreme pride has never fallen below 68 percent, even when former President Barack Obama was in office.
Forty-one percent of independents identified as “extremely proud” to be American in the new survey, a new low.
The survey included a question this year to determine which aspects of American society made people the most proud.
Strong majorities listed American scientific achievements, the U.S. military and American culture and arts. Majorities also expressed pride in economics, sporting achievements and diversity in race, ethnic background and religion.
But only 32 percent of respondents, however, said they were proud of the American political system, Gallup noted. And 37 percent said they were proud of the nation’s health and welfare system.
The Gallup poll was conducted June 3-16, 2019 with a random sample of 1,015 adults and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
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