Waning American Pride Threatens the Republic

American patriotism has sunk to a historic low, according to a new Gallup poll with national pride tumbling among Democrats in particular. Political polarisation has reached fever pitch, with each side increasingly viewing the other not as opponents but as enemies. Since 1994, the share of Republicans and Democrats who hold “very unfavourable” views of the other party has more than tripled, and now makes up a solid majority on both sides.

Cognitive elites often lay the blame — as they do for most things — at the feet of Donald Trump. As a symbol of rudeness and disregard for others, he has certainly made things worse. But America’s civic decline predates his ascent to power in 2016. Around 20 years ago, roughly 90% Democrats, Republicans and independents were “proud” to be American; today, barely a third of Democrats and half of independents feel that way, even as Republicans retain their patriotic leanings.

The legacy of the Sixties and popular opposition to the Vietnam War is critical here: many protesters from that era became college professors, who in turn trained the next generation of teachers, journalists, and bureaucrats. Unsurprisingly, patriotic sentiment among Generation Z is now roughly half that of Baby Boomers. Rather than raise the flag in spite of the country’s flaws, today’s elites often view the Stars and Stripes as an emblem of fascist repression. One leading organiser of the “No Kings” movement even urges Americans to skip 4 July celebrations entirely, calling the US “a country that doesn’t love you back”.

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