Americans are showing the least amount of 'extreme pride' in the US they've shown in nearly 20 years
- The percentage of people in the US who describe themselves as "extremely proud" to be American has hit a record low of 47%, according to recent Gallup polling.
- The decrease in extreme pride is most pronounced among Democrats, of whom only 32% feel extreme pride in being American.
- Extreme pride among Republicans, however, has hit a five-year high of 74%, widening the gap between Democrats and Republicans.
On Wednesday, millions of Americans will host barbecues and set off fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, but recent polling from Gallup shows historically low levels of national pride throughout the country.
A June 1-13 poll revealed that just 47% of Americans surveyed described themselves as "extremely proud" to be American, down from 51% in 2017. This year is the first time that fewer than half of respondents described themselves as "extremely proud" in the 18 years that Gallup has conducted the survey.
The combined total of those who answered "extremely proud" or "very proud" came out to 72% of respondents, also a record low in the history of the Gallup poll.
The decrease in pride is most significant among self-described Democrats, at just 32%. In contrast, the percentage of Republican respondents who said they were "extremely proud" reached 74%, the highest number in the last five years.
Only 10% of respondents, however, expressed being "only a little proud" or "not proud at all." A quarter of those polled said they were "very proud," and 16% described themselves as "moderately proud."
The gap between the percentage of Democrats and Republicans who feel "extremely proud" of the US is now at 52%, the widest its ever been. Gaps in extreme pride are also widening between demographic groups.
Extreme pride has been steadily decreasing across all demographics since 2013, according to the survey, but the most drastic decreases have been among women, non-white respondents, younger people, and those with a college degree, which are groups historically likely to vote along Democratic party lines.
While some of the decrease in extreme pride among those demographic groups began before President Donald Trump took office, it fell at faster rates after his presidency began, according to Gallup.