On this day before the July 4th celebration of America’s founding, how proud are Americans to be an American?
Gallup has been asking that question of people in America every year since 1981. That year, 78 percent of people in the Gallup said they were very proud of America. It rose to 89 percent in the late 1980’s.
In 2001, the year of the September 11th attacks on America, Gallup found that 87 percent of Americans were proud to be American.
This March of this year, 2017, Gallup said 75 percent of Americans described themselves as very proud of America
15 percent said they were only moderately proud, 5 percent only a little proud and 4 percent not proud at all.
And while most polls find about the same levels of patriotism, a new Fox News poll showed some differences and found things more split, with 51 percent saying they are proud of America and 45 percent of voters saying they are not proud.
By a 25-point margin in the Fox News poll, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they’re proud. Independent voters split: 50 percent proud. 46 percent not. So while most of the polls show most Americans proud of America, 79 percent of the voters in the Fox poll said that if the founders of our country, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the rest were alive today, they would not be thrilled.
How would you answer that question? Something to think about on this day before Independence Day.