Recent surveys have exposed a rift on patriotic attitudes that academics say could lead to Independence Day becoming a holiday mostly embraced by conservatives.
• A Gallup poll reported Thursday that 58% of Republicans, 34% of independents and 26% of Democrats said they are “extremely proud” to be American. That’s down from 87% of Republicans, 65% of independents and 62% of Democrats in the same poll last summer.
• A nationwide survey of 2,000 college students reported Tuesday that 76% of self-identified conservative undergraduates feel “proud to be an American,” while 40% of liberals feel likewise.
• A December 2020 study from the nonpartisan More in Common US found that 34% of self-identified “progressive activists” and 51% of Generation Z were proud to be Americans.