Poll finds just 39% are ‘extremely proud’ to be American
‘Fox & Friends’ co-hosts discuss what is behind low percentages of Americans who are proud of their country.
A new poll shows that a historically low number of U.S. adults describe themselves as "extremely proud" to be American.
According to Gallup, 39% of adults expressed "extreme" pride in the United States of America, only one percentage point higher than 2022's record-low number. The number was four points higher in 2021 and 16 points higher when Gallup first asked the question in 2001, growing as high as 65%-70% in the years following the 9/11 attacks.
Meantime, a new Fox News poll shows 48% of Americans think the nation's best days are behind us, while only 43% think the best days are ahead of us. The pessimism has risen since 2012 when only 26% of Americans thought the best days were behind us.
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According to Gallup, in addition to party identification, age appears to significantly affect Americans’ national pride. Whereas 50% of U.S. adults aged 55 and older say they are extremely proud to be American, 40% of those aged 35 to 54 and 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds say the same.
Since 1998, the number of Americans who said patriotism is "very important" went from 70% to 38%, according to a Wall Street Journal/NORC survey (Derek Redenius)
The "Fox & Friends" co-hosts discussed the polls and why they think patriotism is not valued as highly as years prior.
Host Rachel Campos-Duffy said younger Americans are hearing the nation's founders being "denigrated" in schools and colleges.
"I just fundamentally don't know where we got off track like this," co-host Brian Kilmeade remarked.
The latest findings, from a June 1-22 Gallup poll, show 60% of Republicans and 29% of Democrats expressing "extreme" pride in being American. The number for independent voters came in at 33%, the lowest recorded figure.
Campos-Duffy stressed how this attitude can affect military participation going forward.
"This has huge implications. I mean, think about our military. Who would want to die for a country that you don't love?" she asked, as Steve Doocy pointed out that the country relies upon volunteers to serve in the military.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina was asked later in the show about why so many people believe the country is going in the wrong direction. He said the Democratic Party has now pushed narratives about structural racism for years.
"Let's stop telling Americans the lie that the left tells them that we live in a racist, declining country, that this is not the land of opportunity, it's the land of oppression. Let's stop selling the drug of victimhood and the narcotic of despair. Let's start engaging the American people around the painful, truthful history of America that we rise to the occasion," he answered.
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