As the United States of America celebrates its 243rd birthday, the country’s citizens appear to be growing less and less patriotic.
A Gallup poll released at the beginning of July is showing a decline in the number of Americans who say they are proud of their country. While the number of Americans who say they are simply proud over all remains at 70 percent, the number of Americans who check off being “extremely proud” has fallen to 45 percent — less than half the country.
Not surprisingly, the decline is most apparent among Democrats, with just 22 percent of those polled saying they are “extremely proud” to be American. The reading is Gallup’s lowest in 19 years. Republicans, by contrast, have remained consistently patriotic. Even during the Obama years, Gallup notes that this number never fell below 68 percent. As it turns out, conservatives seem to separate their feelings about the government from their feelings about the country overall.
“Several subgroups that typically identify as Democrats — women, liberals and younger adults — all express lower levels of extreme U.S. pride than their counterparts,” the report reads.
The study asked Americans what about the country they are the most proud of, with the categories including scientific achievements, the military, culture and arts, the economy, sports, and religious and ethnic diversity. Science, the armed forces, and culture topped the list with the highest approval ratings.
National pride spiked during the early 2000s, specifically between 2002 and 2004. During that time, Gallup recorded 70 percent of Americans reporting high levels of patriotism. This is explained by the fact that this is the immediate aftermath of 9/11. During this time, then-President George W. Bush at on point enjoyed a staggering 90 percent approval rating. Obviously, this didn’t last long. The wave of patriotism waned as Americans grew less patient with the administration’s “War on Terror”, which even many Republicans today distance themselves from.
In many ways, this poll from Gallup simply confirms what many of us already know — Democrats are not proud of their country. This is explained by their policy proposals, which include a revamping of the entire capitalist system, and enshrining PC outrage culture into every facet of our lives. If you love something, you typically don’t want to change it too much. This is why President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” resonates with so many people. If nothing else, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 because he, at the very least, appeared to like the country he meant to govern.
Going into 2020, history seems to be repeating itself. Last week, 20-something Democrats stood in shoulder to shoulder in telling Americans that they wanted to abolish their health insurance, raise their taxes, and pull back America’s influence around the world. To them, the United States isn’t special — it’s just another country that we happen to live in. Most Americans see it differently, and they’re going to feel that in 2020.
