AP-NORC Poll: Fewer Americans View Democracy as Central to National Identity
A new AP-NORC poll finds that about two-thirds of U.S. adults now consider a democratically elected government highly important to American identity, down from 80% in 2021. The survey, conducted April 16-20 among 2,596 adults, also reveals declining belief in American exceptionalism and the American Dream, with sharp generational and partisan divides. The findings present a striking contrast as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 66% of Americans now say a democratically elected government is 'extremely' or 'very' important to U.S. identity, a notable drop from 80% in 2021. Only about one-quarter of Americans believe the U.S. stands above all other countries, while roughly 3 in 10 say other countries are better than the U.S. — up from 19% in 2016. Generational divides are pronounced: only about half of Americans under 30 see democracy as central to national identity, compared with 81% of those 60 and older, and 44% of adults under 30 say other countries are better than the U.S. On the American Dream, 51% of adults say it once held true but no longer does, with skepticism far more common among Democrats and independents than Republicans, 57% of whom say it still holds true. Americans are also divided on diversity, with only about 4 in 10 Republicans viewing the mixing of cultures as central to U.S. identity, compared with 76% of Democrats. The poll carries a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
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