Record low 38% of people say they're 'extremely proud' to be American

Only 38% of United States citizens say they're 'extremely proud' to be American this Fourth of July.

A new Gallup survey revealed a record-low level of extreme national pride as the U. S. battles rising inflation, increased mass shootings and differing opinions about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

American patriotism has been trending downward since 2015 and elected leaders are aware of it.

Officials in Orlando, Fla., seemingly mocked the anti-American sentiment in a recent promotion for their Independence Day festivities, saying people 'probably don't want to celebrate our nation right now' because there's 'so much division, hate and unrest.'

Similarly, woke NPR broke its 33-year-old tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence to its listeners on July 4 and instead decided to 'examine what equality means and has meant in this document.'

The Gallup survey, which began tracking patriotism in 2001, revealed record-low levels of American pride.

Only 38% of adults claimed to be 'extremely proud' to be American, followed by 27% who were 'very proud' and 22% who were 'moderately proud.'

Sixty-five percent of Americans expressed general 'pride' in the nation, while 9% said they were 'only a little' proud and four percent were 'not at all' proud.

On average, over the past two decades, 55% of U. S. citizens have reported feeling extremely proud in the nation and 80% are very proud.

Gallup claims feelings of patriotism have been on the decline since 2015, before former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016.

Republicans' 'extreme pride' peaked in 2019, at the height of Trump's presidency, while Democrats reported all-time low levels of patriotism.

Democrats have become more proud under President Joe Biden, but the party is still reporting low-levels of extreme pride.

Prior to 2015, no less than 55% of people said they were extremely proud to be American. The highest readings of pride were reported after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a time in which patriotism surged in the U. S.

The city of Orlando hasn't turned a blind eye to the declining levels of patriotism and on Saturday sent out a promotion for their fireworks display in which they acknowledged some citizens may not feel like celebrating.

'A lot of people probably don't want to celebrate our nation right now, and we can't blame them. When there is so much division, hate and unrest, why on earth would you want to have a party celebrating any of it?' an official city email said.

City leaders encouraged residents to come view the fireworks for their enjoyment, despite the current state of the nation.

'But in all seriousness, you know in your heart, Fourth of July fireworks are amazing, especially when you are standing in 90° heat, 100% humidity, next to 100,000 of your closest friends,' the city wrote.

Officials alleged that during the celebration 'something takes over' and all people become 'united in an inexplicable bond.'

'Yes, America is in strife right now, but you know what...we already bought the fireworks,' the email concluded.

The seemingly sarcastic email was met with backlash, prompting the city to issue an statement expressing their 'regrets' later Saturday.

The city apologized for the 'negative impact our words have had on some in our community' and for offending Orlando residents.

'We understand these words offended some of our residents, which was not our intent,' the email read. 'We value the freedoms we have in this country and are thankful to the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for those.'

Officials continued: 'We take pride in celebrating the 4th of July to express our gratitude to those men and women and honor the country we live in.'

The initial email was also met with public objections by the Orlando police union, which wrote on Facebook: 'We do not share the same views as the City of Orlando and find their comments inflammatory and in poor taste.

'The members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 are proud Americans who will continue to serve with Courage, Pride and Commitment to uphold their oath to defend our community and this country,' the union added.

They later thanked the city for issuing their apology and encouraged citizens to have a 'safe and wonderful day celebrating our nation's independence.'

Popular radio news outlet NPR also took aim at American patriotism by breaking their annual tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence on 'Morning Edition.'

Host Leila Fadel took to Twitter early Monday morning to announce she and her co-host, Steve Inskeep, wouldn't be reading the document on-air.

Instead, the pair ran an 11-minute segment that examined 'what equality meant in this document.'

Two Pulitzer Prize-winning historians, Harvard Law's Annette Gordon-Reed and Harvard historian, Jill Lepore, joined the talk-show hosts to evaluate the document's founding principle: 'All men are created equal.'

The group di... (Read more)

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