Are Americans Still Patriotic? What Polls Reveal

Diana Stancy / July 04, 2015

American Enterprise Institute published a public opinion report evaluating Americans’ sense of patriotism. The report compiled information from various studies, including those done by Pew Research Center, The New York Times and National Opinion Research Center. Here are some key findings:

1. Most Americans consider themselves patriotic. According to a Pew Research study from February 2014, 65 percent of respondents ranked themselves between 8-10 on a ten point scale when asked if they consider themselves a “patriotic person,” with ten as the highest possible ranking.

2. Americans are proud of the military. A study from the General Social Survey in 2014 found 66 percent of respondents were proud of the U.S. military forces. This was the highest ranked category. Other areas included America’s history, its democratic system and its social security system.

3. Americans are staying put. A Fox News survey from March 2015 indicated that 83 percent of Americans thought the U.S. was the best country to live in, while 14 percent responded negatively.

4. Americans aren’t as proud of their country as some citizens in other countries are of their own nations. According to a World Values Survey, 98 percent of citizens in Qatar claimed to be “very proud” of their nationality. However, only 56 percent of Americans responded positively in this category.