Americans Are Feeling Less Patriotic Ahead of 250th Anniversary

Americans are approaching the country's 250th anniversary with patriotism looking more partisan and less secure than it once did, new polling suggests.

Surveys from PRRI, Pew Research Center, Gallup, NBC News, and Morning Consult point in the same direction: national pride is slipping, pessimism is rising, and younger Americans are pulling away from traditional expressions of patriotism. The newest data from PRRI suggest Americans are not just less patriotic but less certain about what patriotism now means.

Meanwhile, Gallup finds pride at a record low of 58 percent; NBC reports that most Americans believe the country's best years are behind it; Pew shows widespread dissatisfaction with the country's direction; and Morning Consult highlights a sharp generational divide.

The July 4 semiquincentennial is typically framed as a moment of national unity. Instead, the data points to a more fragmented sense of national identity.

Pride in America Is Holding Up Better Than Pride in Its Institutions

PRRI's latest survey shows how sharply that divide now runs, with 51 percent of respondents saying they are extremely or very proud to be American.

But that falls quickly when the focus shifts to the country's performance.

Just 49 percent say they are proud of America's 250-year history, 34 percent its economic achievements, and 24 percent its moral example-dropping to just 18 percent for the way democracy is working today.

The partisan split is stark. Eighty-three percent of Republicans say they are proud to be American, compared with 43 percent of independents and 31 percent of Democrats. The same pattern holds for history, with 82 percent of Republicans expressing pride, compared with 44 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats.

Age divides are just as pronounced. Only 34 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 say they are proud to be American, compared with 66 percent of those 65 and older.

The nationally representative online survey of 5,469 adults was conducted May 1-18, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.53 percentage points.

Gallup Shows How Long This Slide Has Been Underway

If PRRI explains what Americans are still willing to be proud of, Gallup shows how long national pride has been slipping.

Its June 2-19, 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, found 58 percent of Americans were "extremely" or "very" proud to be American-the lowest reading in its 25-year trend. That was down nine points from the year before and well below the 87 percent recorded when Gallup first asked the question in January 2001. After the September 11 attacks, the figure rose to 90 percent and stayed at or above that level through 2004.

The decline is also uneven. In 2025, just 36 percent of Democrats said they were extremely or very proud to be American, down from 62 percent a year earlier.

Among independents, the figure was 53 percent. Republicans were at 92 percent. Gallup also found a generational divide: from 2021 to 2025, 41 percent of Gen Z adults said they were extremely or very proud to be American, compared with 83 percent of the Silent Generation.

Pew and NBC Find a Country in a Sour Mood

That shrinking pride sits inside a broader downturn in how Americans feel about the country, highlighted in a Pew Research Center survey of 3,592 U.S. adults conducted April 6-12, 2026.

Pew found the public mood sour as the anniversary approaches. It also pointed to a January 20-26, 2026 survey showing that 29 percent were satisfied with the country's direction and 69 percent were dissatisfied.

Looking ahead, Pew Research Center found majorities expect the economy to weaken, the country to grow more divided, and the United States to become less important in the world by 2050. The survey also found 48 percent optimistic and 51 percent pessimistic about the country's future overall.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

NBC News and Roper polling found a similar tension. Its poll of 3,000 U.S. adults, conducted May 29-June 7, 2026, found most Americans believe the country's best years are behind it.

Just 33 percent said they were "extremely proud" to be American, while another 23 percent said they were "very proud." At the same time, 78 percent said the American Dream is harder to reach than it was for the previous generation.

The same poll found 52 percent with very little or no confidence in the federal government, 56 percent in Congress and 64 percent in the national news media.

Younger Americans Are Driving the Change

The age gap is one of the clearest patterns across all the polling.

A Morning Consult survey for Deseret News/Hinckley Institute, conducted April 15-19, 2026, among 2,057 registered U.S. voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, found 69 percent of Americans described themselves as somewhat or very patriotic.

But that masked a steep gradient by age: 56 percent among adults 18 to 34, 61 percent among those 35 to 44, 67 percent among those 45 to 64, and 86 percent among the oldest group.

The same poll found 82 percent of Republicans described themselves as patriotic, compared with 61 percent of Democrats.

Together with PRRI and Gallup, that suggests something deeper than a passing mood swing. The youngest adults are not just less upbeat. They are consistently less likely to express pride in the country at all.

Patriotism May Be Weaker as a Feeling Than as a Practice

Even as polling shows national pride softening, a separate WalletHub analysis ranked Virginia, Montana and Vermont as the most patriotic states, using a weighted index based on military and civic engagement, including service, turnout, volunteering, jury participation, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and civics education.

WalletHub says its underlying data was collected as of May 18, 2026, from public sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the United States Elections Project.

Virginia ranked first in part because it had roughly 1,761 active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians, nearly 103 veterans per 1,000 civilians and 72.9 percent turnout in the 2024 presidential election.

So, while Americans may feel less pride in institutions, democracy, and national direction, they still express patriotism through voting, service, and civic participation.

What the 250th Anniversary Will Really Test

The United States will still celebrate its 250th birthday. But the polling suggests it will do so with less shared confidence-and less agreement about exactly what is worth celebrating.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 9:01 PM.