A new YouGov survey explores Americans’ July 4 plans, their feelings on patriotism and what it means to be American, and how they see their fellow citizens. Fewer Americans describe themselves as proud to be American now than did in 2024, and more describe their fellow citizens as reactionary.
68% of Americans say they are proud to be an American, including 48% who say they are very proud. In June 2024, a higher percentage said they were proud to be American (83%), including 56% who said they were very proud.
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say they are very proud to be an American (82% vs. 27%). In June 2024, a much larger share of Democrats said they were proud to be American (52%), though still less than the share of Republicans at the time (74%).
72% of Americans describe themselves as patriotic, including 31% who say they are very patriotic. At this time last year, 39% of Americans described themselves as very patriotic, according to a YouGov/Economist survey.
Adults under 30 are less likely than older Americans to describe themselves as very patriotic (16% vs. 36%). Americans 65 and older are the most likely to describe themselves as very patriotic (53%).
While 31% of Americans consider themselves very patriotic, less (13%) think that most Americans are very patriotic. 61% think most Americans are somewhat patriotic, 22% say most are not very patriotic, and only 3% say most Americans are not at all patriotic.
43% of Americans think Americans are becoming less patriotic; far less (13%) think Americans are becoming more patriotic. 44% think the level of patriotism among Americans is staying about the same. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say Americans are becoming more patriotic (20% vs. 7%).
A 1948 Fortune/Roper poll asked Americans about the words they would use to describe “the way most Americans are today.”
How do Americans describe their fellow citizens? When choosing from a list of 22 adjectives to describe their impression of the way most Americans are today, 50% say, selfish. This is a slight increase from 42% in June 2024, and a large increase from 1948, when 28% said most Americans were selfish.
Today, the other most common choices Americans use to describe their fellow citizens are spoiled (39%), intolerant (37%), undisciplined (37%), gullible (36%), and reactionary (34%). In June 2024, fewer (26%) described Americans as reactionary.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to describe Americans today as insecure (42% vs. 14%), gullible (49% vs. 23%), intolerant (47% vs. 23%), and imperialistic (22% vs. 5%). Republicans are more likely than Democrats to describe Americans today as liberal (30% vs. 12%), confident (24% vs. 10%), and optimistic (20% vs. 7%).
The majority (55%) of Americans say there is such a thing as the American Dream, down from 60% last year.
36% of Americans believe the American Dream is very or somewhat attainable for them personally. People who own their homes are more likely than people who rent their homes to say they think the American Dream is attainable for them personally (44% vs. 28%).
Adults under 45 are less likely than older Americans to say the American Dream is attainable for them (27% vs. 44%).
How do Americans plan to celebrate the 4th of July? 43% say their plan is to stay home and relax. 35% will host or attend a get-together of family and friends, 33% will attend a cookout, barbecue, or picnic, and 24% will watch TV. 16% will do household chores, 16% will attend a professional fireworks display, and 11% will watch sports. (As some of these activities can overlap, respondents could select as many options as applied to them.)
40% of Americans think the use of fireworks by individuals should be made legal and 34% say it should not be made legal. Among the one in 10 Americans who plan to light their own fireworks this Fourth of July, 75% think this should be made legal nationwide.
63% of Americans think most people see the Fourth of July as more a time for fun and relaxation; 9% think it is more about history and freedom. 22% say it is both.
Related:
- How Americans describe the Democratic and Republican parties
- Ahead of July Fourth, here’s what Americans think about fireworks, democracy, and the American Dream
- Democrats are far more likely now than a year ago to believe the country's best days are behind it
See the results for this YouGov survey
— Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this article
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted June 24 - 26, 2025 among 1,016 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty (Kayla Bartkowski / Staff)
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