Poll finds less than half of Democrats say they are proud to be American ahead of U.S. 250th anniversary

Less than half of Democrats say they feel proud to be American, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The survey found 45 percent of Democrats said they are “very proud” or “proud” of being American, while 55 percent said they are “not too” proud or “not at all” proud.

The poll comes amid broader measures showing partisan gaps in national pride. Gallup, in a June 1-15 survey published June 29, reported that 33 percent of U.S. adults said they are “extremely proud” to be American, the lowest figure in its 25-year trend. Gallup reported that 70 percent of Republicans, 28 percent of independents, and 14 percent of Democrats said they are extremely proud to be American, highlighting a steep difference by party affiliation.

A separate YouGov survey on patriotism also reported a partisan split. It found that 96 percent of Republicans say they are proud to be Americans, compared with 58 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents, and it reported that just 1 percent of Republicans but 23 percent of Democrats said they are not proud to be Americans.

The national pride question is part of a wider set of public attitudes being measured as the country marks the milestone anniversary. Pew Research Center, in a June 12 analysis of Americans’ views ahead of the 250th anniversary, reported that while people express some hopefulness and happiness about the future, most say they feel “sour” about the country in the present, and many say the nation is not meeting key founding ideals.

The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll’s results also reinforce that Democrats are less likely than Republicans to express strong attachment to national identity in polling questions that directly ask respondents about pride in being American. The survey is likely to be cited in upcoming discussions about how Americans view the country’s direction and civic identity as the anniversary approaches.

Marist and NPR/PBS have not indicated that the survey will directly translate into policy proposals. However, the findings could be used by lawmakers and government agencies as they prepare communications and public programming around the 250th anniversary, including materials intended to broaden public engagement and participation.

The partisan differences highlighted by the poll and other recent surveys may also affect how civic messaging and public celebrations are received. Because the results rely on self-reported attitudes rather than behavioral measures, officials would need additional data to translate sentiment into concrete outreach strategies.