Kerby Anderson

As we enter the 250^th anniversary of this country, you would assume that Americans would have pride in their country. But if you saw the recent Gallup poll, you would be discouraged. US adults were asked how proud they were to be an American. Those who were extremely proud or very proud hit a record high after the 9/11 attack on this country. By contrast, we hit a record low in June. If you dig deeper into the poll, you will find a stark difference. Republicans, for example, didn’t change their views at all. In 2001, 90 percent of Republicans said they were extremely proud or very proud. In 2025, 92 percent of Republicans answered that way. As you can now imagine, the decline in pride was due to Democrats. In 2001, 87 percent of Democrats said they were extremely proud or very proud. By 2025, only 36 percent of Democrats answered that way. Although the trajectory was downward during this quarter century, the decline in pride for Democrats was much worse when a Republican was in the White House. Star Parker asks: “Why Aren’t Democrats Proud to be American?” She focuses on two factors: issues and religion. One important issue is abortion, which she says touches on our core values. “Among Republicans, 77% identify as pro-life and 16% as pro-choice. Among Democrats, 83% identify as pro-choice and 12% pro-life.” Republicans say religion is important and are more likely to attend church. Democrats are the opposite. A previous Gallup survey found nearly three fourths (63%) of Democrats said that they have no religion, while just a quarter (26%) of Republicans said the same. These sobering statistics suggest we may not see much of a renewal of pride in America during this 250^th anniversary of America.