It’s a common refrain: You defend what you love. Yet, you cannot love what you don’t know.
That disconnect is leading to alarming trends in American culture. A recent Gallup poll found that patriotism among young adults ages is now at a record low, after declining for the past 10 years.
Age, along with political party, are the biggest determining factors in how Americans feel about the country. Republicans at 60% are twice as likely as Democrats (29%) to say they have a robust pride in the United States.
Discrepancies in national pride are even more pronounced among different age groups. According to Gallup: “Whereas 50% of U.S. adults aged 55 and older say they are extremely proud to be American, 40% of those aged 35 to 54 and 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds say the same.”
According to Gallup in June 2023: "Whereas 50% of U.S. adults aged 55 and older say they are extremely proud to be American, 40% of those aged 35 to 54 and 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds say the same." Matt Rourke/AP
This is part of a broader national trend. A decade ago, 85% of adults said they were "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American. Today, that's dropped by nearly 20 percentage points to 67%.
That’s a huge change. What’s going on?
Along with the decline in patriotism, young Americans view capitalism − the driving force behind the U.S. economy − in a much less rosy light than older generations.
A 2021 poll from Axios and Momentive found that 18- to 34-year-olds were split pretty evenly between those who viewed capitalism positively (49%) and negatively (46%). Just two years earlier, however, the margin was much larger: 58% viewed capitalism favorably; 38% did not.
Gen Z harbors especially negative feelings about capitalism, with 54% having a negative view and just 42% having a positive view.
It seems the message that progressive Democrats are peddling about the "evils" of capitalism is resonating with this new generation.
Even President Joe Biden has allowed himself to be pulled further to the left when it comes to higher taxes and government intrusion into the marketplace. Biden calls it “Bidenomics,” and it’s antithetical to the free-market capitalism that has made America the most prosperous country in the world.
Gen Z appears to embrace much more of the “Nordic model,” which centers on high taxes and a large government-provided welfare system.
The generation content with “lazy girl jobs” also has been swayed by promises that the government will take care of them. Biden’s messaging about student loan cancellation, for example, has been targeted directly at Gen Z.
And they’re buying it.
Maybe they aren’t learning enough.
The latest crop of national civics and U.S. history scores show continued declines for eighth graders. Learning disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for some of the drops in proficiency, but certainly not all of it.
History scores have been on the decline for a decade; civics scores had largely stayed flat until now.
Conservatives and liberals have very different ideas about how history and civics should be taught and what should be prioritized. These scores highlight that students at the very least need to learn more.
We can’t blame young people for not loving and defending a system they don’t understand – and one they've been taught is deeply flawed in major ways.
For Americans who love this country and want to preserve its freedoms and opportunity, these polls should serve as a clarion call.
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That disconnect is leading to alarming trends in American culture. A recent Gallup poll found that patriotism among young adults ages is now at a record low, after declining for the past 10 years.
Age, along with political party, are the biggest determining factors in how Americans feel about the country. Republicans at 60% are twice as likely as Democrats (29%) to say they have a robust pride in the United States.
Discrepancies in national pride are even more pronounced among different age groups. According to Gallup: “Whereas 50% of U.S. adults aged 55 and older say they are extremely proud to be American, 40% of those aged 35 to 54 and 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds say the same.”
According to Gallup in June 2023: "Whereas 50% of U.S. adults aged 55 and older say they are extremely proud to be American, 40% of those aged 35 to 54 and 18% of 18- to 34-year-olds say the same." Matt Rourke/AP
Is Gen Z proud to be American?
Generation Z, born from 1997 to 2012 and an increasingly important voting bloc, is more liberal than other generations, even at similar ages. That seems to play into young people’s pride, or lack of it, in America.This is part of a broader national trend. A decade ago, 85% of adults said they were "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American. Today, that's dropped by nearly 20 percentage points to 67%.
That’s a huge change. What’s going on?
Along with the decline in patriotism, young Americans view capitalism − the driving force behind the U.S. economy − in a much less rosy light than older generations.
A 2021 poll from Axios and Momentive found that 18- to 34-year-olds were split pretty evenly between those who viewed capitalism positively (49%) and negatively (46%). Just two years earlier, however, the margin was much larger: 58% viewed capitalism favorably; 38% did not.
Gen Z harbors especially negative feelings about capitalism, with 54% having a negative view and just 42% having a positive view.
It seems the message that progressive Democrats are peddling about the "evils" of capitalism is resonating with this new generation.
Even President Joe Biden has allowed himself to be pulled further to the left when it comes to higher taxes and government intrusion into the marketplace. Biden calls it “Bidenomics,” and it’s antithetical to the free-market capitalism that has made America the most prosperous country in the world.
Gen Z appears to embrace much more of the “Nordic model,” which centers on high taxes and a large government-provided welfare system.
The generation content with “lazy girl jobs” also has been swayed by promises that the government will take care of them. Biden’s messaging about student loan cancellation, for example, has been targeted directly at Gen Z.
And they’re buying it.
It all starts in our schools
There’s a reason K-12 education has become such a flashpoint in American politics. It's where, after all, the nation’s young people learn about this nation they call home.Maybe they aren’t learning enough.
The latest crop of national civics and U.S. history scores show continued declines for eighth graders. Learning disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for some of the drops in proficiency, but certainly not all of it.
History scores have been on the decline for a decade; civics scores had largely stayed flat until now.
Conservatives and liberals have very different ideas about how history and civics should be taught and what should be prioritized. These scores highlight that students at the very least need to learn more.
We can’t blame young people for not loving and defending a system they don’t understand – and one they've been taught is deeply flawed in major ways.
For Americans who love this country and want to preserve its freedoms and opportunity, these polls should serve as a clarion call.
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