American pride has reached an all-time low according to a June 29 Gallup poll indicating only 38% of Americans were "extremely proud" to be a US citizen.
Gallup's numbers this year also indicated 27% of Americans were "very proud," 22% were "moderately proud," while 9% said they were "only a little" proud and 4% expressed being "not at all" proud.
Gallup
By contrast, 70% of Americans said they were "extremely proud" in 2003 and 91% said they were either “very” or “extremely” proud in 2004.
This year's results–gathered from data taken from 1,015 participating US adults between June 1 and June 20–are the lowest since Gallop began asking Americans about their pride for the country in 2001.
It comes at a time when Americans are struggling with high inflation rates combined with the bi-partisan battle in Congress over a number of issues, including gun control and abortion and the continued fallout from the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol.
The survey responses also followed the deadly mass shootings in Buffalo, New York–where ten Black shoppers were murdered by a White nationalist gunman inside a supermarket—and Uvalde, Texas–where 19 students and two teachers were fatally shot inside an elementary school.
The Gallup poll preceded the United States Supreme Court's official controversial decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which formerly gave people federal protection in seeking reproductive healthcare with minimal restrictions for nearly half a century.
However it came less than a month after the draft of that SCOTUS decision leaked in May.
Although 38% of Americans saying they were "extremely proud" hit a historical low by four percentage points, the combined 65% of Americans who said they were "extremely" or "very" proud was two actually two points higher than in 2020.
Gallup noted extreme national pride in the US, regardless of political allegiance, has been on a downward trend since 2015 and fell below the majority level in 2018–making it nearly 20 points lower than it was a decade ago.
While proud Republicans generally outpaced Democrats in the poll, the conservative party's extreme national pride fell to a low of 58%.
The Independent party also reached an "extremely proud" record low of 34%.
At the start of President Joe Biden's presidency in 2021, extreme national pride for Democrats rose to 31%–up from 22% in 2019.
However, the numbers dipped to 26% this year.
Gallup
The Gallup poll also reported national pride was notably higher this year among men, older Americans and those who were less educated.
"Although Americans' national pride is at or near historical lows, depending on the measure, a majority of U.S. adults remain proud to be an American," said the global analytics and advice firm.
"This dimension of patriotism has been subject to change throughout the years, depending on a variety of factors, including the popularity of the sitting president, the health of the economy, and high-profile national events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks."
They also surmised a majority of Americans declining to state they were extremely proud was reflected by "deepening political divisions and party gridlock in Washington, as well as national challenges regarding race relations, COVID-19 policies, and inflation."
Over the July 4 weekend, many US citizens felt there was less cause for celebration.
“Personally, I want out," said a woman in Atlanta, Georgia in respone to her July 4 plans.
She added:
"I want to go far, far away. I think it’s very bleak, and it’s been bleak since 2020."
Another was less inclined to miss out on the national holiday festivities.
“Definitely feeling a bit conflicted, today but at the same time, I’m not going to say no to a day off - spending time with friends and enjoying the good things."
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