Poll: Gen Z Least Proud Generation to Be An American

Democrats have hit another historic low in that just over one-third of them are either very or extremely proud to be an American, while Gen Z stands out as the least proud generation, a recent Gallup survey finds.

While a majority of those surveyed across the board — 58 percent — said they are either extremely or very proud to be an American, Gallup points out that this is actually a record-low. Last year, for example 67 percent said the same, and the all-time high appears to be in 2002 — right after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — and 2004, when 91 percent said they were proud to be an American.

Another 19 percent identify themselves as moderately proud to be an American, 11 percent are a “little” proud, and nine percent are not proud at all.

Pride in being an American drastically differs on party lines. Only 36 percent of Democrats — an all-time low — say they are extremely or very proud to be an American. This is significantly down from 62 percent who said the same last year, in 2024. An all-time high of Democrats, 92 percent, said they were either extremely or very proud to be an American in 2002.

Pride is also falling among independents, although a majority, 53 percent, still say they are either extremely or very proud to be an American. Last year, that figure stood at 60 percent. A high of 86 percent of independents said they were either extremely or very proud to be an American in 2004.

American pride is rising, however, among Republicans. A whopping 92 percent said they are either extremely or very proud to be an American — just seven points short of the GOP’s all-time high in 2003, when 99 percent described their pride in being an American that way.

Notably, GOP pride crept up during President Donald Trump’s first term, reaching 95 percent in 2019 before descending into the 80s for the coronavirus era and into former President Joe Biden’s term.

The survey also found that American pride varies not only among parties but from generation to generation. Gen Z is the least proud to be an American of all generations:

The youngest two generations, millennials (born between 1980 and 1996) and Generation Z (born after 1996), are the most distinct. From 2021 to 2025, less than half (41%) of adults who belong to Generation Z have been extremely or very proud to be Americans, compared with 58% of millennials. The rate increases to 71% of Generation X, 75% of the baby boom generation and 83% of the Silent Generation.

Despite their greater expression of pride, all generations from millennials through the Silent Generation have shown declines of 10 or more points in the percentages extremely or very proud since 2001-2005. Most of that change has occurred since 2016.

This survey was taken June 2-19 and comes ahead of the country’s next Fourth of July celebration, kicking off the celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary, taking place the following year. The White House announced the creation of a Salute to America 250 Task Force planning what the White House describes as a “full year of festivities to officially launch on Memorial Day, 2025 and continue through July 4th, 2026.”

“On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate the most important milestone in our country’s history — 250 years of American Independence,” Trump said in a statement. “With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history.”