A new YouGov survey on patriotism explores how Americans feel about their own levels of patriotism, how they define patriotism, and which political party they believe is more patriotic.

70% of Americans say they are proud to be Americans; 16% say they are not. The vast majority (96%) of Republicans say they are proud to be Americans, compared to just 58% of Democrats and 59% of Independents. 1% of Republicans, 23% of Democrats, and 21% of Independents are not proud to be Americans.

Americans over 65 are more likely than younger adults to say they are proud to be Americans (82% vs. 66%).

68% of Americans — including 92% of Republicans and 57% of Democrats — say they consider themselves to be very American. 18% say they are somewhat American, 4% say they are not very American, and 3% say they are not at all American.

40% of Americans believe that America’s best days are in its past; 30% believe the best days are in its future. Fewer (10%) believe America’s best days are happening right now. Among Republicans, 31% say the country’s best days are in its past and 41% believe they’re yet to come. Among Democrats, 42% believe its best days are in its past and 30% say they’re in the future.

Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say the country’s best days are happening right now (17% vs. 6%).

How do Americans define patriotism? The majority (62%) say “acknowledging problems in your country and seeking solutions” comes closer to their definition. One-quarter (25%) say “supporting your country unconditionally” comes closer to their definition of patriotism.

Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say their definition of patriotism comes closer to “acknowledging problems in your country and seeking solutions” (79% vs. 43%).

41% of Americans say they are very patriotic and 32% say they are somewhat patriotic. 10% say they are not very patriotic and 10% say they are not at all patriotic.

A similar share of Americans (37%) say Donald Trump is very patriotic as say they themselves are. Fewer see the Republican Party (31%), Americans in general (20%), the Democratic Party (18%), or Congress (11%) as very patriotic.

Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to see the following entities as very patriotic: Donald Trump (78% vs. 10%), the Republican Party (68% vs. 14%), and themselves (74% vs. 28%). Similarly small shares of each group say Americans in general and Congress are very patriotic.

52% of Americans think the U.S. would be better off if Americans were more patriotic. Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to say this (81% vs. 36%). Only 10% of Americans think the country would be better off if Americans were less patriotic.

About one-third (35%) of Americans say they’re less patriotic now than when they were children; 25% say they’re currently more patriotic. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say they’re less patriotic now than when they were children (50% vs. 11%).

34% of Americans feel less patriotic this year compared to past years. 20% say they feel more patriotic. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say they feel more patriotic this year (40% vs. 13%).

The majority (55%) of Americans say they think Americans in general are becoming less patriotic. 15% think Americans are becoming more patriotic.

Which party do Americans see as more patriotic? 44% see the Republican Party as more patriotic and 31% see the Democratic Party as more patriotic. Among Republicans, 88% say the Republican Party is more patriotic and 3% say the Democratic Party is more patriotic. Among Democrats, 74% say the Democratic Party is more patriotic and 12% say the Republican Party is more patriotic.

Among people who consider themselves very or somewhat patriotic, 51% say they consider the Republican Party to be more patriotic and 30% say they consider the Democratic Party to be more patriotic.

52% of Americans think the Republican Party considers itself to be more patriotic than the Democratic Party. Only 15% think the Democratic Party considers itself to be more patriotic.

35% of Americans say the Democratic Party’s views of patriotism come closer to their own views. The same share (34%) say the Republican Party’s views of patriotism come closer to their own views.

Americans who say they are very or somewhat patriotic are more likely to say the Republican Party’s views of patriotism come closer to their own than to say the Democratic Party’s do (46% vs. 32%).

16% of Americans are “extremely dissatisfied” with how democracy is working in the U.S., giving a rating of 0 on a 0 to 10 scale. In June 2023, a larger share (21%) were very dissatisfied with how democracy was working in the U.S.; in 1977, a Gallup poll found that only 3% felt the same way.

61% of Americans rate their satisfaction with U.S. democracy at a 5 out of 10 or lower. In 1977, far fewer (38%) felt the same way.

Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to rate their satisfaction with U.S. democracy at a 5 out of 10 or lower (76% vs. 37%). 20% of Democrats and 8% of Republicans rate their satisfaction at a 0.

Related:

See the results for this YouGov survey

— Carl Bialik contributed to this article

Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted on June 4 - 7, 2026 among 1,078 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, 33% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4.2 percentage points.

Image: Getty (FG Trade Latin)

What do you really think about President Trump, American politics in general, and everything else? Share your reality, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.

Subscribe to the YouGov newsletter