Less than 20% of Americans think the Founding Fathers would be proud of the country today. While all political parties hold a pessimistic view, Democrats are the most negative.
Every year, as the 4th of July approaches, survey outlets publish poll results on American patriotism. The further we enter the Fourth Turning, the more negative these results have become. Last year, only 58% of US adults said they were "extremely or very proud" to be US citizens. That’s the lowest reading on record. (See “Patriotism Hits New Low.”)
This year, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, Gallup revived a question it hadn’t asked since 2013: Do you think the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased or disappointed by the way the United States has turned out?
As you may have guessed, the answer wasn’t positive. Only 19% of Americans believe the Founders would be pleased with America today. That’s an -8 percentage point decline from 2013 (27%) and a whopping -35 percentage point decline from the record high reached in 2001 (54%).
By political affiliation, Democrats are the most pessimistic. Just 13% believe the Founders would be proud of America, down -29 percentage points since 2013. Among independents, 21% agree, a modest 3-point decline. Republicans are the most optimistic at 25%, up +13 points from 2013 when Obama was in office, but still down -32 points from their 2003 peak.
These results add more evidence that Americans are highly pessimistic about the state of the country. And as the Fourth Turning marches on, we suspect these indicators will further deteriorate.