American Pride Just Hit a Record Low. I’m Not Buying the Gloom.

Gallup put out a number this summer that a lot of people treated like a funeral announcement. Let’s look at it together, and then I’ll tell you why I’m not wearing black.

The number

According to Gallup (opens in a new tab), just 33% of American adults say they’re “extremely proud” to be American. That’s the lowest reading since they started asking in 2001. Among adults 18 to 34, it’s 14%.

Okay. That’s not great. I’m not going to pretend it is.

But dig one layer deeper and you find something interesting. 70% of Republicans say they’re extremely proud. And 43% of all Americans say they fly the flag outside their home on holidays or other days. Gallup notes that number is identical to a reading from 40 years ago. Folks, flag-flying in America is right where it was in the Reagan years.

Pride isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision.

Here’s what I think is going on. A lot of people treat pride in their country like a mood. Like it’s something that happens to you when the news is good. And if the news is bad, well, I guess you’re not proud this year.

That’s not how love works. Nobody loves their family only when everybody’s getting along. You love them because they’re yours. You choose it, and you keep choosing it, especially on the days it’s hard.

Love of country works the same way. The classical word for it is piety: the honor you owe to the people and the place that gave you life. You don’t earn it by being perfect, and your country doesn’t lose it by being imperfect.

Gallup found something telling

Buried in the poll is a detail I love. Among people who say they’re extremely proud, 69% fly the flag at home. Among those who are only a little proud or not proud at all, it’s 15%.

Now, Gallup is measuring a connection there, not proving which one causes which. But I’d bet it runs both ways. Pride makes you put the flag up. And putting the flag up, and walking past it every morning, reminds you why you’re proud. Habits shape hearts.

So here’s my challenge

If you’re reading this and you’re one of the folks who’s been feeling a little down on America lately, I’m not going to yell at you. I get it. But try this for a month.

Put a flag on your porch. Learn the story of one person from your town who served. Take your kids to the Fourth of July parade, even if it’s small and the fire truck is the best float. Say the Pledge out loud at the next ballgame instead of mumbling it. Thank a veteran by name.

Do the things proud people do, and see if the feeling doesn’t follow.

Why I’m optimistic

A poll is a snapshot, not a destiny. Pride has gone up and down before. Gallup’s own trend shows it jumped after 9/11, when the whole country remembered what it had. I don’t want a tragedy to bring us back together. I want us to choose it.

And I think we will. I think the 14% of young adults who are extremely proud are going to become 20%, then 30%, and they’re going to drag their friends along. Because the case for America is just too good. The freest, most generous, most inventive country in history doesn’t stay unloved for long.

I’m proud. I’m choosing it. Join me.

Sources

• Gallup, American Pride Falls to 25-Year Record Low (June 29, 2026) (opens in a new tab)