Less than 4 in 10 – 38% – of adults said they were “extremely” proud to be American, the lowest measure ever made by Gallup, who has been asking the question since 2001.
38% of proud Americans are well below the 55% average since the question was asked. In fact, before 2015, Gallup had never found those who expressed “extreme” pride less than 55%.
The decline in extreme American pride is due, in large part, to marked falls between Republicans and independents.
While Republicans remain the group most likely to express extreme pride in the country, that figure is now down to 58%, a sharp 75% drop that said the same thing in 2019.
Among independents, only 34% said they were very proud of the United States today, compared to 41% who said the same in 2019.
That figure among Democrats has increased marginally over the past three years: from 22% to 26%.
As Gallup points out, the poll was on the field at an exceptionally difficult time.
But while this may be a difficult time, the long-term decline in confidence in America, and the institutions that make it up, is not new.
We are in an era of declining trust in institutions, all institutions, which were once considered the basis of American society.
The pointAll of these numbers point to an astonishing reality: the bonds that bind us together as a nation are loosening with each passing day.
