Key facts
- Americans' pride in the nation's history and democracy has fallen significantly over the past decade.
- Pride in the US armed forces has dropped 19 percentage points since 2017.
- Only 53% of US adults report being 'extremely' or 'very' proud to be American, according to Gallup.
- Democrats and independents show a notable decline in patriotic sentiment, while Republicans remain largely proud.
- Being an American is considered highly important to personal identity more often by Republicans and older adults.
Americans' pride in their country's history and the functioning of its democracy has significantly declined over the past decade, according to new polls from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Gallup. The AP-NORC poll found that pride in the U.S. on several key attributes, including its military and global political influence, has dropped since 2017.
Gallup's findings reveal that only 53% of U.S. adults currently identify as "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American, marking the lowest reading since 2001. This trend coincides with a tumultuous period that included much of President Donald Trump's first term, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising inflation.
The decline in positive sentiment is largely attributed to Democrats, who have become increasingly disenchanted, particularly since Trump's presidency. However, a majority of U.S. adults still consider being an American to be "extremely" or "very" important to their identity, indicating an enduring connection despite growing criticism of the nation's past or current government actions.
Specifically, pride in American democracy has fallen 14 percentage points since February 2017, and pride in the armed forces has dropped 19 percentage points. Pride in U.S. history has also declined by 14 percentage points. These shifts are primarily driven by Democrats, with some influence from independents.
Republicans, in contrast, show significantly higher levels of pride. Approximately 70% of Republicans identify as "extremely" or "very" proud to be American, compared to 14% of Democrats and 28% of independents. Republicans are also overwhelmingly proud of the nation's armed forces, with about 9 in 10 expressing extreme or very high pride, compared to about 6 in 10 overall U.S. adults.
Partisanship plays a key role in national identity. Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats or independents to state that being an American is "extremely" or "very" important to their personal identity. Similarly, older adults are more likely than younger adults to hold this view; about three-quarters of those aged 60 and older consider it highly important, compared to only about one-third of adults under 30.
For many Black Americans, race or ethnicity is a more significant aspect of their identity than being American. The AP-NORC survey found that 73% of Black Americans consider their race or ethnicity extremely or very important, a higher share than those who say the same about being American. Hispanic Americans also show a higher tendency to prioritize their race or ethnicity compared to white Americans.