Two new surveys released before the Fourth of July sketch a country that remains attached to itself — but with less certainty, and a widening partisan divide over what that attachment means.

Pride, but quieter

In the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, conducted June 8–11 among 1,340 adults (margin of error ±3.0 points), 65 percent of Americans said they are "very proud" or "proud" to be American, while 35 percent said they were not, according to Marist. But a Gallup survey conducted June 1–15 among 1,001 adults (±4 points) found the intensity fading: only 33 percent now call themselves "extremely proud" to be American — down eight points in a year and the lowest in Gallup's trend going back to 2001, Gallup reported. Adding "very proud" brings the total to 53 percent, down from 67 percent as recently as 2023.

A partisan chasm

The gap between the parties is stark. In the Marist poll, 93 percent of Republicans said they are proud to be American, versus 61 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats. Gallup's "extremely proud" measure showed 70 percent of Republicans, 28 percent of independents and 14 percent of Democrats — a 56-point divide. Flag-flying tracks the same split: Gallup found 43 percent of Americans display the flag at home, down from 59 percent in 1991, with Republicans more than twice as likely as Democrats to do so.

Founding ideals feel distant

The unease runs deeper than the pride figures. In the Marist survey, 47 percent said the country has moved "far" from its founding principles and another 36 percent "somewhat" away — leaving just 16 percent who say it still reflects them. A separate Gallup poll conducted May 1–17 found 77 percent of Americans believe the founders would be "disappointed" in what the country has become, up from 71 percent in 2013 and 46 percent in 2001, Gallup reported.

Ahead or behind

Asked whether the country's best days lie ahead or behind, 53 percent in the Marist poll said ahead and 45 percent behind — again split by party, with Republicans most optimistic. Fifty-nine percent said they were not confident future generations would be better off, and 82 percent said they saw a serious threat to democracy, a worry that crossed party lines even as the parties disagree about its source.

A long slide, and a caveat

Gallup's historical record shows extreme national pride peaking near 65 to 70 percent after the Sept. 11 attacks and declining almost every year since, slipping below a majority in 2018. The lowest current readings came among women, adults under 35, and people of color. Yet the same Gallup survey found that 69 percent still say the country has achieved at least "a fair amount" of success in living up to its founding ideals — a sign that, for many, disappointment in the present is not the same as giving up on the promise. The numbers here are drawn from the Marist and Gallup releases; each poll carries its own sampling error and reflects a snapshot in time.