Wednesday, July 04, 2018

In U.S., Record-Low 47% Extremely Proud to Be Americans


On NPR All Things Considered this afternoon (July 4, 2018), they referred to the results as showing how "patriotic" people are, and the poll showing that republicans are supposedly more patriotic than Democrats. Garbage! Patriotism is love of country. Love doesn't mean worship. If you can only love a person or country if you consider them perfect, you don't love them. Like a parent can love a child, or vice versa, and want what is best for them, but not be proud of a child who is behaving badly. Likewise, loving a country or person is not the same as hating everybody else.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/236420/record-low-extremely-proud-americans.aspx

by Jeffrey M. Jones
July 2, 2018

This Fourth of July marks a low point in U.S. patriotism. For the first time in Gallup's 18-year history asking U.S. adults how proud they are to be Americans, fewer than a majority say they are "extremely proud." Currently, 47% describe themselves this way, down from 51% in 2017 and well below the peak of 70% in 2003.

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While the 47% who are extremely proud to be Americans is a new low, the vast majority of Americans do express some level of pride, including 25% who say they are "very proud" and 16% who are "moderately proud." That leaves one in 10 who are "only a little" (7%) or "not at all" proud (3%).

The combined 72% who are extremely or very proud to be Americans is also the lowest in Gallup's trend.

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Currently, 32% of Democrats -- down from 43% in 2017 and 56% in 2013 -- are extremely proud. The decline preceded the election of Donald Trump but has accelerated in the past year.

Less than half of independents, 42%, are also extremely proud. That is down slightly from 48% a year ago, and 50% in 2013.

As has typically been the case, Republicans are more inclined to say they are extremely proud to be Americans than are Democrats and independents. Seventy-four percent of Republicans are extremely proud, which is numerically the highest over the last five years.

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