Poll: Youth sour on America
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American patriotism has faced a steep decline among young adults over the last decade, and now sits at a record low.
Why it matters: Pride in national identity is lowest among those 18-34, and illustrates the fracture between young Americans and older generations at a time of deep partisanship in the United States.
- In the most recent Gallup poll, Americans 55 and older were nearly 3 times more likely to be extremely prideful of their nationality than younger generations.
By the numbers: Overall, 39% of U.S. adults say they are "extremely proud" to be American in the most recent poll.
- Meanwhile, only 18% of those aged 18-34 said the same, compared to 40% of those aged 35-54 and 50% of those 55 and over.
- By comparison, in 2013, 85% of those aged 18-29 said they were "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American.
The big picture: The percentage of U.S. adults of all ages polled who say they are "extremely proud" to be American remains near a record low, per Gallup.
- Looking at the last two decades, the percentage of Americans expressing extreme pride intensified after 9/11 but began a decline in 2005 that has continued today.
Between the lines: In addition to age, party identification is one of the greatest demographic differentiators in expressions of national pride, per Gallup.
- The percentage of those "extremely proud" to be American stands at 60% for Republicans, 33% for independents and 29% for Democrats.
Yes, but younger adults across all three political designations are significantly less proud than older adults in each.
- Although Republicans may be associated with greater national pride, they tend to be older than Democrats and independents, according to Gallup.
Go deeper: Americans are down on morality, family and country
