July 16, 2018: Seventy-two percent of the nation’s adults are very proud to be an American. That’s down from 81 percent in the summer of 2016 and an all-time high of 92 percent in September of 2002.[1]
The latest figure includes 47 percent who are extremely proud to be an American. That’s down five points since the election of President Donald Trump. However, the numbers suggest that this is part of a longer-term trend rather than a reaction to the election results.
The number of those extremely proud to be an American peaked at 70 percent in 2003 (less than two years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks). It fell to 58 percent by the end of President George W. Bush’s time in office. That was fairly close to the 55 percent total measured before the 9/11 attacks. During President Barack Obama’s tenure, the number of those extremely proud to be an American fell another six percentage points to 52percent.
Not surprisingly, with a Republican in the White House, Democrats are less enthusiastic. Gallup reports that 32 percent of Democrats are extremely proud. That’s down from 43 percent in 2017 and 56 percent in 2013. According to Gallup, "The decline preceded the election of Donald Trump but has accelerated in the past year."[2]
Footnotes:
- Gallup, "Sharply Fewer Democrats Say They Are Proud to Be Americans," April 3, 2017
- Gallup, "In U.S., Record-Low 47% Extremely Proud to Be Americans," July 2, 2018
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
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