If you suspect that many Americans prize their partisan affiliations above their common status as U.S. citizens, the evidence keeps rolling in to support your position. Pride in being an American has reached an all-time low even as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day. More telling is that Americans’ pride—or lack thereof—in the one big thing they have in common seems increasingly linked to whether their preferred politicians are in power. The partisan nature of Americans’ regard for their nationality affects many people across the political spectrum but is especially pronounced among Democrats.

Big Decline in National Pride

“A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are ‘extremely’ (41%) or ‘very’ (17%) proud to be an American, down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020,” Gallup’s Jeffrey M. Jones reported this week.

By contrast, in 2013, 57 percent of respondents were “extremely” proud and 28 percent were “very” proud. The high point since the turn of the century was between 2002 and 2004 when at least 90 percent of respondents reported a combination of the two. In these over-politicized times, it’s not surprising that the most dramatic decline was among those whose political tribe is out of power.

“Democrats are mostly responsible for the drop in U.S. pride this year, with 36% saying they are extremely or very proud, down from 62% a year ago,” Jones wrote, in a continuation of a general erosion that has partially tracked that party’s political fortunes. At 53 percent, political independents have dropped seven points since last year: “Independents’ pride has been declining since the early 2000s, dropping below 80% for the first time in 2005, then below 70% in 2019 and below 60% this year.”

Republicans aren’t immune to partisanship affecting feelings for the U.S., with their pride in country dipping in 2016 when it appeared Hillary Clinton would win the presidency, and from 2020–2024. But “Republicans’ level of nationa

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Article from Reason.com

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