The Washington Post reported on July 2 local time that a survey by the American polling firm Gallup released on June 30 showed that only 58% of American adults feel "extremely" or "very" proud to be Americans, which is the lowest level in over two decades since the company added this question to its survey.

Gallup stated: "At the beginning of the 21st century, almost all American adults said they felt extremely or very proud to be Americans. But over the past 25 years, due to factors such as political changes and generational shifts, this sense of national unity has been eroded."

Survey data on American national pride, with 41% "extremely proud" and 17% "very proud" Gallup

Related information shows that this survey was conducted between June 2 and 19, before the U.S. military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Gallup surveyed the opinions of 1,000 adults across the country through random phone sampling; the margin of error for the overall results is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Gallup's survey report states that one of the main reasons for this change is the decline in national pride among Democratic voters, currently at 36%. The proportion also dropped to a historical low of 53% among "political independents." In contrast, the national pride of Republican voters reached as high as 92%, and even increased by 7% compared to last year. This indicates that the party divide in the United States is continuing to widen. The difference in data on "national pride" between supporters of the two parties even reached 56%.

Difference in national pride between supporters of the two parties, with red representing Republican supporters and blue representing Democratic supporters, while the dashed line represents "political independents" Gallup

Gallup, combining some previous survey results, stated that the decline in American national pride is because people are no longer as optimistic about the future and are dissatisfied with the direction of the country's development. In addition, the poor image of both parties during the presidencies of Trump and Biden, as well as the increasing "partisan hatred," have had a significant impact on this issue.

Peter Logg, associate professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, commented: "Partisan attacks are a characteristic of our politics... This means that party supporters choose their positions because 'the other side is too disgusting,' rather than truly supporting a party's platform. They also belittle groups that support other parties." According to a review by The Washington Post, the polarization in the United States was more severe than ever before on the eve of last year's presidential election, with more incendiary rhetoric and anger in public discourse than ever before.

At the same time, the national pride of younger generations of Americans is also declining. Among the "Generation Z" (born in 1997 and later), only about 41% said they feel "extremely" or "very" proud to be American. Overall, the older the American, the stronger their sense of national pride.

Gallup analyzed: "Although most people from the 'Millennial generation' (born between 1980 and 1996) to the 'Silent Generation' (born before 1946) expressed their pride, the proportion of those who were 'extremely' or 'very' proud decreased by 10% or more in all generations since 2001 to 2005. This change mostly occurred after 2016."

Differences in national pride among different age groups of Americans, generally speaking, the older the person, the stronger the sense of pride Gallup

Regarding this age-related trend, Logg said: "Generation Z was first told by the right wing that 'Democrats are anti-American, unpatriotic, and hopeless,' and then by the left wing that 'Republicans are anti-American, fascist, and hopeless.' These statements described the United States as a country in crisis and shaped their perception."

However, a survey by Fox News, which leans toward supporting the Republicans, slightly differs from Gallup's findings. According to Fox News' survey, the number of American voters who feel proud of the United States has reached a new high since 2011. In addition, the difference between Republicans and Democrats is evident: 85% of Republican supporters say they feel proud of the United States, while only 36% of Democratic supporters do so.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observers, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522655473809293843/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author. Welcome to express your attitude by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.