With signs of patriotism abounding for the Fourth of July, a new survey indicates seven in 10 Americans think the Founding Fathers would be disappointed by the way the United States has turned out, 237 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
But that doesn’t mean Americans themselves are displeased. The same poll, released Thursday by Gallup, shows the number who say they’re very or extremely proud to be American remains steady at 85%.
According to the poll, 57% of adult Americans are “extremely proud” and 28% are “very proud.” In addition, 10% say they are “moderately proud,” with 3% saying they are “only a little proud” and a mere 1% saying they are “not at all proud.”
The survey’s results vary little from previous years, which have hovered between 80% and 85% since 2005 for those who are very/extremely proud. In the few years after 9/11, that number came closer to 90%-92%.
Americans living in the South are slightly more likely than those in the East and West to say they are proud, Gallup notes. Breaking it down by ideology, conservatives and Republicans are also a little bit more likely to express a sense of pride than Americans on the other side of the political spectrum.
Despite the high level of patriotism, 71% of Americans think the signers of the Declaration of Independence wouldn’t be pleased with the nation today. That number has steadily risen since 2001, when the number stood at 42%.
On the contrary, 27% in this year’s poll say the Founding Fathers would appreciate how the country now fares, down from 54% in 2001.