Poll shows U.S. pride in history and democracy falls to new lows

Americans have grown less proud of their country's history and the way its democracy works over the past decade, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Pride in the U.S. military and its political influence around the globe has also declined since 2017. The AP-NORC poll was conducted in April.

Gallup polling found that 53 percent of U.S. adults are extremely or very proud to be American, the lowest reading in the trend dating back to 2001.

Pride in democracy and armed forces Americans' pride in the way democracy works in the U.S. has declined 14 percentage points, falling from 42 percent in February 2017 to 28 percent now. Pride in the armed forces has dropped 19 percentage points over the same period, and pride in U.S. history has declined 14 percentage points.

The drops are largely driven by Democrats, with some movement among independents. Republicans remain more likely than other groups to express pride in the nation's armed forces.

Personal identity and national pride Most U.S. adults continue to say that being an American is extremely or very important to their identity. Republicans and adults ages 60 and older are more likely than Democrats and younger adults to hold this view.

The AP-NORC survey found that 73 percent of Black Americans say their race or ethnicity is extremely or very important to how they see themselves, a higher share than those who say the same about being American. About half of Hispanic Americans and 22 percent of white Americans say their race or ethnicity is highly important to their identity.