Many American politicians over time have referred to the United States as the greatest country on Earth. Do Americans agree?
In a YouGov poll of more than 11,000 US adults, Americans tend to believe that the US is indeed the greatest nation on Earth, by 50% to 31%. But there are some notable differences among different generations and racial groups.
When it comes to generations, members of the Silent Generation (born 1928 – 1945) are the most likely to say that the United States is the greatest country in the world, at 78%. Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) trail behind with two-thirds (65%) saying the US is the greatest. Generation X (born between 1965 and 1981) also tends to think the US is the best, with 50% saying this vs. 30% who say it is not.
Millennials – born between 1982 and 1999 – are split. About two in five (37%) say the US is the greatest nation on Earth, but roughly the same percentage (40%) say that it is not. Adult members of Generation Z (born in 2000 or later) are even less likely to buy into the idea of the US being the greatest nation. Only 26% of these Gen Z’ers say America is the best nation on the planet, while far more (43%) hold the opposite view.
Native Americans are the most likely racial group to say the US is the greatest nation
Different racial groups have varied perspectives on America’s greatness. Native Americans (73%) are more likely than any other racial group to say the US is the greatest nation on Earth. Majorities of those who identify their race as “other” (55%) agree, as do about half of Hispanic Americans (52%) and white Americans (52%).
Fewer than half (43%) of Black Americans believe the US is the best country, while one-third (33%) hold the opposing view. Asian Americans are the least likely to say the US is the greatest nation on Earth, with only 28% believing this to be true. Close to half (46%) of Asian Americans say the US is not the best nation.
See full results here.
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Methodology: 11,901 US adults were surveyed August 5 – 8, 2021. The responding sample is weighted to be representative of the US population.
Image: Getty
