Young Americans are not that proud of their affiliation with the United States — especially not compared to older generations.
About half of US adults say they are very proud (48%) to be an American, according to a new YouGov poll of more than 6,000 people. That number is about half (22%) for 18-to 24-year-olds. About half (47%) of young adults say they are either very or somewhat proud to be an American, compared to two in five (41%) who say they are not very or not at all proud.
American pride appears to increase among older adults. The youngest age demographic is split on whether they are proud to be American, but that is not the case for older age groups. Three in five (61%) adults ages 25 to 34 are proud, as well as two-thirds of adults (68%) ages 35 to 44. Seven in 10 adults (71%) between 45 to 54 are proud of their country identity.
The oldest age group — encompassing primarily Baby Boomers — carries significantly more pride than younger age groups about being an American. Four in five (80%) adults who are 55 or older say they are proud, compared to just 16 percent who are not.
The YouGov poll on American pride comes the week before the nation celebrates the Fourth of July holiday, and follows an ongoing debate on police brutality toward Black Americans in the United States. Other recent data from YouGov found that a majority of 18-to 24-year-olds (57%) would support making Juneteenth a federal holiday, as do about three in five (62%) 25-to 34-year-olds.
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Methodology: 6,417 US Adults were asked: “How proud, if at all, are you to be an American?” Response options: Very proud, somewhat proud, not very proud, not at all proud, don't know, N/A - I am not an American. The survey was conducted June 19, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education to be nationally representative of all US Adults
Image: Getty
