America 250

Why Are Americans Less Patriotic Than Ever?

As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, all age groups are less likely to love America than in the past.

Nick Gillespie | 7.2.2026 4:28 PM

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As America gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, you've probably encountered headlines like this Newsweek one: "US Gen Z, Young Millennials Less Patriotic Than Older Generations: Poll."

It's true that polls consistently show that younger Americans are more likely to be ambivalent about the United States than their parents or grandparents. For instance, the poll cited by Newsweek finds that for people between the ages of 18 and 34, "56 percent said they were somewhat or very patriotic." Among people older than 65, the corresponding number is 86 percent, leading to the conclusion that there's "a clear generational gradient: Each successive age group reports higher levels of patriotism than the one below it."

But such facile analyses ignore the bigger and arguably more important trend: Americans overall are less patriotic than we used to be. Over the past 25 years, reports Gallup, pride in "being an American" is way down from its peak in September of 2002, when fully 92 percent of respondents said they "extremely" or "very proud" to be American. The most recent survey, conducted in June, found just 53 percent were still going full Lee Greenwood, even as the 83-year-old "God Bless the U.S.A." songwriter opened the America 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C.

The reasons for such a massive and persistent drop are many and overlapping. A huge part of the answer surely lies in increasing political polarization, which is negatively restructuring all parts of people's lives by restricting "the range of people with whom they are willing to have relationships, the brands they purchase, and the jobs they take." One of the great historic promises of America was that it was a place you........

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