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Ask not if you're proud to be an American

By Jeff Jacoby

Published July 9, 2025

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Heading into the Fourth of July, headlines drew attention to what appears to be a disturbing trend: a marked decline in the number of adults who say they are proud to be Americans.

According to new Gallup polling, only 58 percent of Americans describe themselves as “extremely” (41 percent) or “very” (17 percent) proud to be an American — an all-time low. The plunge in pride is concentrated among Democrats and independents. While 62 percent of Democrats called themselves proud to be Americans last year, only 36 percent feel that way now. The drop among independents, from 60 percent to 53 percent, is less steep. But for both groups, pride in their national identity is now lower than it has ever been.

Meanwhile, according to a separate survey conducted by the Republican polling firm National Research, Inc., 91 percent of self-identified Republicans call themselves “patriots,” compared to just 50 percent of Democrats. Adam Geller, the founder of National Research and a GOP strategist who worked for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, told the New York Post that while the results may stem in part from “a little leftover saltiness” from the 2024 election, “we need to have a country where, even if you don’t love the president, you’re still proud to be an American — you still hold those values.”

Are you grateful to be an American?

Are you proud of what America stands for?

Are you proud of what America has done in the past year?

Do you feel attached to or alienated from American identity?

Each of those questions measures something real and distinct — gratitude for circumstances, embrace of values, approval of conduct, and emotional belonging. Lumping them all into a single catchphrase encourages people to speak in clichés rather than grapple candidly with the complexity of their feelings about their country.

The simple question has persisted over time in part because it’s familiar and easy to track and in part because Americans have been conditioned to respond to it in a certain way.

The Greenwood song is still sung, the flag still waved, and the phrase “proud to be an American” still used as a kind of civic password, even when many who say it harbor deep reservations about the country’s direction. And for those who refuse to say it are framed in the headlines as outsiders ungrateful or disloyal, even when their criticism is rooted in love of country and a desire to see it live up to its promise.

Patriotism ought to be more than a reflexive cheer or a performative protest. We can express pride in our ideals without ignoring the ways we have betrayed them. We can love our country without idolizing it, and criticize America without abandoning it. What if we stopped asking people whether they’re proud to be Americans, and started asking instead what they're doing to ensure America remains a country worthy of pride.

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission.

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